different between plum vs clum

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: pl?m, IPA^(key): /pl?m/
• Rhymes: -?m
• Homophone: plumb

Etymology 1

From Middle English plomme, ploume, from Old English pl?me, from Proto-West Germanic *pl?m?, borrowed from Latin pr?num. Doublet of prune.

Noun

plum (plural plums)

1. The fruit and its tree.
   1. The edible, fleshy stone fruit of Prunus domestica, often of a dark red or purple colour. [from 8th c.]
   2. The stone-fruit tree which bears this fruit, Prunus domestica. [from 8th c.]
   3. The edible, fleshy stone fruit of several species resembling the plum, or the tree from which they grow. [from 16th c.]
      1. Prunus sect. Prunus
         1. Prunus cerasifera, the cherry plum or myrobalan
         2. Prunus salicina the Chinese plum or Japanese plum
         3. Prunus spinosa, the sloe
         4. Prunus ursina the bear's plum
      2. Prunus sect. Prunocerasus North American plums
         1. Prunus americana, the American plum
         2. Prunus angustifolia, the Chickasaw plum or sand plum
         3. Prunus hortulana, the hortulan plum
         4. Prunus nigra, the Canadian plum or black plum
         5. Prunus rivularis, the creek plum or hog plum
         6. Prunus subcordata, the Klamath plum or Oregon plum
      3. Prunus sect. Armeniaca (better known as apricots)
         1. Prunus mume, an Asian fruit more closely related to the apricot than the plum, usually consumed pickled, dried, or as a juice or wine; ume.
   4. (now rare) A dried grape or raisin, as used in a pudding or cake. [from 17th c.]
2. Extended senses.
   1. (now rare, archaic) One hundred thousand pounds; (generally) a fortune. [from 18th c.]
      • 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, I.1:

        He […] acquired a plentiful fortune, tho', to his infinite regret, he died before it amounted to a Plum […] .

   2. A desirable or choice thing of its kind; a prize selection; a choice appointment, assignment etc. [from 19th c.]

      The mayor rewarded his cronies with cushy plums, requiring little work for handsome pay.

   3. A dark bluish-red color/colour, the colour of some plums. [from 19th c.]

   4. (slang, usually in the plural) A testicle. [from 20th c.]
   5. (derogatory, chiefly Britain) A fool, an idiot.

Synonyms

• (tree): plum tree, plumtree
• (edible fleshy fruit of Prunus mume): ume

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Cornish: ploum
• ? Manx: plumbis
• ? Japanese: ??? (puramu)
• ? Scottish Gaelic: plumas
• ? Thai: ???? (plam)

Translations

Adjective

plum (comparative more plum, superlative most plum)

1. (comparable) Of a dark bluish-red colour.
2. (not comparable) Choice; especially lavish or preferred.

Translations

See also

Etymology 2

Phonetically based spelling of plumb.

Adjective

plum (comparative more plum, superlative most plum)

1. Plumb

Adverb

plum (not comparable)

1. Completely; utterly.

   You're going to think I'm plum crazy for this, but I want to adopt all seven kittens.

Translations

Verb

plum (third-person singular simple present plums, present participle plumming, simple past and past participle plummed)

1. (mining) To plumb.

Anagrams

• lump

Middle English

Noun

plum

1. Alternative form of plomme

Romansch

Alternative forms

• (Sutsilvan) plùn, plùm
• (Surmiran, Puter, Vallader) plom

Etymology

From Latin plumbum (“lead”).

Noun

plum m

1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan) lead (metal)

English

Alternative forms

• clumme

Etymology

From Middle English clum, clom (“silence”), perhaps for *clomen (“stiff, numb”), past participle of *cleomen (“to be stiff”); compare Middle English acleomen (“to be stiff”), related to Middle English clumsen, clomsen (“to be stiff, be numb”), Dutch kleumen (“to be stiff from cold”); or perhaps representing Old English clom, clam, clamm (“band, bond, fetter, chain, grip, grasp”). Compare also Old English clumian (“to mutter”). More at clam.

Noun

clum (plural clums)

1. (obsolete) Silence.

Interjection

clum

1. (obsolete) Silence; hush

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Chaucer to this entry?)

Adjective

clum (comparative more clum, superlative most clum)

1. (obsolete) Silent; glum.

Anagrams

• Culm, MCLU, culm