gean

American  

[geen] / gin /

noun

1. heart cherry.

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gean British  

/ ɡiːn /

noun

1. Also called: wild cherry.  a white-flowered rosaceous tree, Prunus avium, of Europe, W Asia, and N Africa, the ancestor of the cultivated sweet cherries

2. See sweet cherry

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Etymology

Origin of gean

First recorded in 1525–35, gean is from the Middle French word guigne, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Alder and ash are the main tree species but there are also bird cherry and hazel and small numbers of wych elm, gean, holly, rowan and elder.

From BBC • Nov. 20, 2014

You will know the place by the gean trees.'

From Mr. Standfast by Buchan, John

Noo stright they went to Bethlehem, Wheer oor sweet Saviour lay; They fan' him iv a manger, Wheer oxen fed on hay, To seave wer sowls fra Sattan's power; Lang taam we've gean astray.

From Yorkshire Dialect Poems (1673-1915) and traditional poems by Moorman, Frederic William

Ratafia is similarly manufactured, also by preference from a gean.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various

The wood of the cherry tree is valued by cabinetmakers, and that of the gean tree is largely used in the manufacture of tobacco pipes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various