Redcurrant

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A bright red berry found in clusters that is known for its sour profile and culinary applications in sweets and sauces
2. A tart fruit characterized by its vibrant hue and commonly used in various recipes, including jams and jellies
3. A small, red, translucent fruit that grows in clusters on a shrub and is often used in cooking and baking

Etymology: The name is about as literal as English gets: "red" plus "currant," the berry. The "currant" part carries a twist of its own. It comes from "raisin de Corinthe," or "grape of Corinth," because dried small grapes from the Greek region around Corinth were shipped to England and gradually the name shifted onto a different fruit. The berries of the shrub were not named after the grapes; the words were confused over time, so that "currant" came to mean the bush's berries and the dried raisins became known as "currants" too. The red variety is the same shrub as the black and white currants, distinguished only by colour, which is why the compound simply stacks the adjective onto the existing name. Writing it as one word, "redcurrant," is a spelling variant of the two-word form "red currant," and both are in use today.

Synonyms: currant