Jamaican cherry
- noun
- /dʒəˈmeɪkən ˈtʃɛri/
- US
:
cereza jamaicana
- The Jamaican cherry produces small red fruits that are sweet and edible.
Examples
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The silky fiber from the bark of the Jamaican cherry is sometimes used to make cordage.
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The Jamaican cherry tree grows rapidly in tropical climates.
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Farmers often plant the Jamaican cherry to provide fast shade and quick yields.
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I love the sweet taste of Jamaican cherries in summer.
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The Jamaican cherry produces small red fruits that are sweet and edible.
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Farmers often plant the Jamaican cherry to provide fast shade and quick yields.
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The silky fiber from the bark of the Jamaican cherry is sometimes used to make cordage.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A fast-growing tropical tree with white flowers and edible fruit and bark that gives silky fibers for rope
A fast-growing tropical evergreen tree that has white flowers and small sweet red fruit
A tropical evergreen tree with edible fruit, silky bark used to make rope, and wood used for boards
A fast-growing tropical tree that has edible fruit and bark for making strong rope
A fast-growing tropical evergreen tree with white flowers, small sweet red fruit, and bark used to make strong thread
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines the demonym 'Jamaican' with the noun 'cherry', so a B1 learner who knows both words would naturally infer it refers to a type of cherry tree or fruit associated with Jamaica (i.e., a tropical fruit tree). Detailed botanical distinctions (species name, not a true Prunus cherry) are specialist knowledge, but the basic meaning is fully compositional and cross‑linguistically transparent.
Etymology
Jamaican cherry gets its name from its small, bright red fruits that look like cherries and from being common in Jamaica. So the image of a fast-growing tropical tree covered in little sweet red fruits helps you remember it is a tree with edible fruit and useful silky bark.