persimmon
noun
per·sim·mon pər-ˈsi-mən 
1
: any of a genus (Diospyros) of trees of the ebony family with hard fine wood, oblong leaves, and small bell-shaped flowers
especially : an eastern U.S. tree (D. virginiana) or a Japanese tree (D. kaki)
2
: the usually orange several-seeded globular berry of a persimmon that is edible when fully ripe but usually extremely astringent when unripe
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web These, along with fruits from the park trees and a small persimmon tree in our yard that produced a surprisingly large haul that year, fed us all fall and into winter. 
Gabriel Popkin, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2022 Look for flavors of ruby red grapefruit, watermelon, rosewater and persimmon. Dave Mcintyre, Washington Post, 28 July 2022 Texas persimmon in my neighborhood grows to about 20 feet tall. Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 6 May 2022 For drier sites, consider Eastern redcedar, hackberry, pignut hickory, American persimmon, sumacs and hophornbeam. Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2022 This Hachiya persimmon tree was planted last year February and seemed to do well in its first year. oregonlive, 23 Apr. 2022 The climax of the meal is the galbi, or Korean barbecued short rib, served with a poetic arrangement of Brussels sprouts, crispy lotus root, wood-ear mushroom, and persimmon. The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2022 This trait is shared by several other garden plants, including holly, bayberry , asparagus, ginkgo, juniper, yew, and persimmon. Miri Talabac, baltimoresun.com, 20 Jan. 2022 And so the persimmon became the symbol of her newest album — and the centerpiece of the cocktail kit (which also features artwork from Japanese Breakfast collaborators Ryuta Endo and Hwang Rowoo). Cailey Rizzo, Travel + Leisure, 1 Mar. 2022 See More
Gabriel Popkin, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2022 Look for flavors of ruby red grapefruit, watermelon, rosewater and persimmon. Dave Mcintyre, Washington Post, 28 July 2022 Texas persimmon in my neighborhood grows to about 20 feet tall. Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 6 May 2022 For drier sites, consider Eastern redcedar, hackberry, pignut hickory, American persimmon, sumacs and hophornbeam. Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2022 This Hachiya persimmon tree was planted last year February and seemed to do well in its first year. oregonlive, 23 Apr. 2022 The climax of the meal is the galbi, or Korean barbecued short rib, served with a poetic arrangement of Brussels sprouts, crispy lotus root, wood-ear mushroom, and persimmon. The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2022 This trait is shared by several other garden plants, including holly, bayberry , asparagus, ginkgo, juniper, yew, and persimmon. Miri Talabac, baltimoresun.com, 20 Jan. 2022 And so the persimmon became the symbol of her newest album — and the centerpiece of the cocktail kit (which also features artwork from Japanese Breakfast collaborators Ryuta Endo and Hwang Rowoo). Cailey Rizzo, Travel + Leisure, 1 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Virginia Algonquian pessemmin
First Known Use
1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
persimmon
noun
per·sim·mon pər-ˈsi-mən
: an orange roundish sweet fruit that grows on a tree of the southeastern United States and Asia and may be very sour when unripe
Medical Definition
persimmon
noun
per·sim·mon pər-ˈsim-ən
1
: any tree or shrub of the genus Diospyros
especially : one (D. virginiana) of the eastern United States whose bark has been used as an astringent
2
: the usually orange globular berry of a persimmon that is edible when fully ripe but usually extremely astringent when unripe