persimmon

persimmon
/peuhr sim"euhn/, n.
1. any of several trees of the genus Diospyros, esp. D. virginiana, of North America, bearing astringent, plumlike fruit that is sweet and edible when ripe, and D. kaki, of Japan and China, bearing soft, red or orange fruit.
2. the fruit itself.
[1605-15, Amer.; < Virginia Algonquian (E sp.) pessemmins, pichamins, pushemins, putchamins (unidentified initial element + reflex of Proto-Algonquian *-min- fruit, berry)]

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Either of two trees of the genus Diospyros in the ebony family, and their globular, edible fruits.

The native American persimmon (D. virginiana), a small tree with dark-red to maroon fruits that contain several large, flattened seeds, grows from the Gulf states north to central Pennsylvania and central Illinois. The Oriental persimmon (D. kaki), grown extensively in China and Japan, has larger, more astringent, yellow to red fruit. Good sources of vitamins A and C, persimmons are eaten fresh or stewed or cooked as jam.

American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana).

H.R. Hungerford

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plant
 either of two trees of the genus Diospyros (family Ebenaceae) and their globular, edible fruits (fruit). The Oriental persimmon (D. kaki), an important and extensively grown fruit in China and Japan, where it is known as kaki, was introduced into France and other Mediterranean countries in the 19th century and grown to a limited extent there. Introduced into the United States a little later, it is now grown commercially on a small scale in California and in the Gulf states, mainly in home gardens. The fruit, 5–8 cm (2–3 inches) or more in diameter, yellow to red in colour, somewhat resembles a tomato in appearance and contains vitamin A, with lesser amounts of vitamin C. Except for such varieties as Fuyu, the fruit tends to be highly astringent until soft-ripe or, as in Japan, until treated with certain gases. The trees will tolerate temperatures down to about -18° C (0° F).

      The native American persimmon (D. virginiana) is a small tree, occasionally up to 10 m (33 feet) in height, that grows from the Gulf states north to central Pennsylvania and central Illinois. The fruit is 3–5 cm in diameter, usually rather flattened, and dark red to maroon in colour. Most fruits contain several rather large, flattened seeds. The American persimmon's fruit is generally considered more flavourful in its softened state than the Oriental species, and considerable quantities are gathered from the wild. A number of superior kinds have been named and propagated and are grown commercially. Persimmons are eaten fresh as a dessert fruit, often with sugar or liqueur, or are stewed or cooked as jam.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Persimmon — bezeichnet: eine Baufirma, siehe Persimmon plc eine Frucht, siehe Kaki Name eines Rennpferdes, siehe Persimmon (Pferd) Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselben Wort bezeichne …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Persimmon — Per*sim mon, n. [Virginia Indian.] (Bot.) An American tree ({Diospyros Virginiana}) and its fruit, found from New York southward. The fruit is like a plum in appearance, but is very harsh and astringent until it has been exposed to frost, when it …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • persimmon — ● persimmon nom masculin Arbre d Amérique centrale (ébénacée) dont le bois, très résistant, est employé dans la fabrication des navettes à tisser et des clubs de golf …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • persimmon — 1610s, from Powhatan (Algonquian) pasimenan fruit dried artificially, from pasimeneu he dries fruit, containing proto Algonquian */ min / fruit, berry …   Etymology dictionary

  • persimmon — ► NOUN ▪ an edible fruit resembling a large tomato, with very sweet flesh. ORIGIN Algonquian …   English terms dictionary

  • persimmon — ☆ persimmon [pər sim′ən ] n. [Virginia Algonquian pessemins, etc.] 1. any of a genus (Diospyros) of trees of the ebony family with white, cup shaped flowers, hard wood, and yellow or orange red, plumlike fruit 2. the fruit, sour and astringent… …   English World dictionary

  • Persimmon — This article is about the edible fruit. For other uses, see Persimmon (disambiguation). Persimmon American persimmon flower Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • persimmon — UK [pə(r)ˈsɪmən] / US [pərˈsɪmən] noun [countable/uncountable] Word forms persimmon : singular persimmon plural persimmons a soft sweet fruit that looks like a large orange coloured tomato and grows on a persimmon tree …   English dictionary

  • Persimmon — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Persimmon plc, une entreprise de construction britannique. Persimmon est le mot anglais pour le fruit kaki qui pousse sur le plaqueminier. Catégorie :… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • persimmon — virgininis juodmedis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Juodmedinių šeimos dekoratyvinis, maistinis, medieninis, vaisinis, vaistinis augalas (Diospyros virginiana), paplitęs Šiaurės Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Diospyros mosieri; Diospyros… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

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