Plum
/plʌm/
Definitions
3 meaningsA fleshy fruit of various trees of the genus Prunus, having a single stone.
/plʌm/
A sweet fruit with a single hard stone.
These plums are ripe and ready to eat.
💡 Simply: A plum is like a little, round treat that grows on trees. It has a sweet juice inside and a big seed in the middle, kind of like a tiny, delicious surprise!
👶 For kids: A plum is a yummy, juicy fruit that grows on a tree!
More Examples
I baked a pie with plums from our tree.
The farmer harvested a large crop of plums this year.
How It's Used
"She ate a juicy plum from her garden."
"Plums are often used in jams and preserves."
A dark purplish-red color, like that of a ripe plum.
/plʌm/
A dark purplish-red color.
Her lipstick was a beautiful shade of plum.
💡 Simply: Imagine a plum, all nice and purpley-red. That color is called plum too!
👶 For kids: Plum can also be the name of a dark purple color, like the outside of a plum!
More Examples
The walls were painted a deep plum color.
He wore a plum-colored tie to the wedding.
How It's Used
"The designer chose a plum-colored fabric for the dress."
"The painting featured a palette of deep reds and plums."
Very desirable or excellent; a prize.
/plʌm/
Excellent or desirable.
Winning the lottery would be a plum opportunity.
💡 Simply: If something is 'plum', it means it’s the best, a real prize you want! Like getting the 'plum' assignment means you're in charge of the most interesting project.
👶 For kids: When something is plum, it's the best! Like the best cookie or the best toy!
More Examples
That plum role at the company is highly sought after.
He got the plum job in the department.
How It's Used
"The new job is a plum assignment."
Idioms & expressions
a plum job
A very desirable or rewarding job or assignment.
"He landed a plum job as CEO of a tech startup."
From Middle English *plūme*, from Old English plūme, from Latin prūnum, from Ancient Greek προῦνον (prounon).
The word 'plum' has been used to describe both the fruit and the color since the 14th century. The figurative use of 'plum' to mean something desirable developed later.