persimmon

per·sim·mon

noun \pər-ˈsi-mən\

Definition of PERSIMMON

1

: any of a genus (Diospyros) of trees of the ebony family with hard fine wood, oblong leaves, and small bell-shaped flowers; especially : an eastern United States tree (D. virginiana) or a Japanese tree (D. kaki)

2

: the usually orange several-seeded globular berry of a persimmon that is edible when fully ripe but usually extremely astringent when unripe

Origin of PERSIMMON

Virginia Algonquian pessemmin

First Known Use: 1612