currant

noun

cur·rant ˈkər-ənt

ˈkə-rənt

: a small seedless raisin originally grown chiefly in the eastern Mediterranean

: the acid edible fruit of various shrubs (genus Ribes) placed in either the saxifrage or gooseberry family

also : a plant bearing currants

Examples of currant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The 264-page guide offers details on how to manage inevitable fire by designing gardens and wildlife habitats as a defensive space with the careful placement of native plants. instead of invasive butterfly bush, the authors recommend planting mock orange, red-flowering currant or blue elderberry. —

Jeastman, oregonlive, 11 Sep. 2023 Line a rimmed baking sheet with a clean dish towel or paper towels and spread the currants on it to soak up any excess liquid. —

Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2023 Expect hints of coffee, cocoa, currant, dark cherry, graphite and plum while sipping. —

People Staff, Peoplemag, 2 Aug. 2023 Apples, pears, plums, cherries, currants, gooseberries, and more can all be trained as cordons and pruned to maintain this form. —

Elizabeth Waddington, Treehugger, 25 July 2023 Trouble can arise when disturbances such as eating toxic foods like grapes, raisins, and currants. —

Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 21 June 2023 Our red flowering currant has been in the ground for at least five years. —

oregonlive, 18 June 2023 Try calafate gelato, calafate liqueur, and delicious jams made from chaura (prickly heath) and zarzaparrilla (wild currant). —

Nora Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2023 Sweet currants or raisins balance the flavors out with a bit of sweetness, and the bread itself makes a bright, flavorful counterpoint to a heavy stew. —

Kate Merker, Country Living, 15 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'currant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from earlier corawnce, currantes, ellipsis from Middle English reysouns of corans, borrowed from Anglo-French raisins de Curance "raisins of Corinth," from Corinth, Greece

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of currant was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century