greengage

[ green-geyj ]

noun

1. any of several varieties of light-green plums, as Prunus insititia italica.

greengage

/ ˈɡriːnˌɡeɪdʒ /

noun

1. a cultivated variety of plum tree, Prunus domestica italica, with edible green plumlike fruits
2. the fruit of this tree

Word History and Origins

Origin of greengage¹

1715–25; green + Gage, after Sir William Gage, 18th-century English botanist who introduced such varieties from France circa 1725

Word History and Origins

Origin of greengage¹

C18: green + -gage, after Sir W. Gage (1777–1864), English botanist who brought it from France

Example Sentences

And the greengage orchard at the bottom of the garden?

From BBC

Ah, but then there are the strawberries poached in honey with cream and milky ice cream — and also a powder made of dried lacto-fermented greengage plums.

From Los Angeles Times

Market customers say the jam makes them think of bygone summers, picking damson plums from backyard trees or greengage plums from the orchard.

From Seattle Times

Plums, damsons and greengages are all wonderful eaten raw, but there are plenty of ways to cook them, particularly if you have a glut.

From The Guardian

“The best jam I ever had was greengage in France. I can still taste it, the tartness of the plums.”

From Wall Street Journal