What does plum mean?
A plum is a juicy stone fruit that may have red, purple, yellow, or green skin and a sweet flesh surrounding a single hard pit. Plums are eaten fresh, dried as prunes, or preserved in jams, jellies, and puddings. The word also names a deep purplish-red color, a usage familiar in both British and American English. In informal British and American English, "plum" can describe a particularly desirable or advantageous position, as in "plum job." Its vocabulary value extends beyond the fruit: it links culinary language, color description, and informal workplace or opportunity talk. The word ultimately comes from Latin prūnum, the name of the plum or prune, and is related to English prune and the botanical name Prunus for the broader plum and cherry family.
A sweet stone fruit with fleshy purple, red, yellow, or green skin and a hard central stone; informally, a highly desirable position.
"The basket was filled with plums from the garden."
In the informal sense, "a plum" is usually used in phrases such as "a plum job" and conveys an especially lucrative, prestigious, or otherwise advantageous position.
Deep purplish-red in color.
"She paired the plum blouse with black trousers."
As a color adjective, "plum" is common in British and American English.
The usual plural of the fruit noun.
"Fresh plums are more flavorful when they are slightly soft."
The humble plum takes its name from a Latin word that also gave us prune, turning a fresh fruit into one of the best-known dried fruits.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does plum come from?
The English word descends from Old French prune, which was borrowed from Latin prūnum, meaning "plum" or "prune." The Latin word was also borrowed directly or indirectly into English as prune, now usually referring to a dried plum. The botanical Latin name Prunus belongs to the related genus containing plums, cherries, and several other stone fruits. In Middle English, plum became the ordinary word for the fresh fruit, while prune increasingly came to denote its dried form.
Related word forms
How plum is actually used
The color sense is common in both British and American English. The informal sense meaning a desirable position is especially associated with British usage, though it is also understood in American English.
Easily confused with plum
A plum is typically eaten fresh or preserved, whereas a prune is a dried plum.