prunus Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a genus of shrubs and trees of the family Rosaceae that is widely distributed in temperate regions
    genus Prunus.

WordNet

Pru"nus noun
Etymology
L., a plum tree.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A genus of trees with perigynous rosaceous flowers, and a single two-ovuled carpel which usually becomes a drupe in ripening. ✍ Originally, this genus was limited to the plums, then, by Linnæus, was made to include the cherries and the apricot. Later botanists separated these into several genera, as Prunus, Cerasus, and Armeniaca, but now, by Bentham and Hooker, the plums, cherries, cherry laurels, peach, almond, and nectarine are all placed in Prunus.

Webster 1913