peach

1 of 2

noun

ˈpēch

: a low spreading freely branching Chinese tree (Prunus persica) of the rose family that has lanceolate leaves and sessile usually pink flowers and is widely cultivated in temperate areas for its edible fruit which is a single-seeded drupe with a hard central stone, a pulpy white or yellow flesh, and a thin fuzzy skin

: the edible fruit of the peach

: a moderate yellowish pink

: one resembling a peach (as in sweetness, beauty, or excellence)

peach

2 of 2

verb

peached; peaching; peaches

transitive verb

: to inform against : betray

intransitive verb

: to turn informer : blab

Did you know?

If you guessed that the origin of this verb peach has something to do with a slightly fuzzy fruit, you are unfortunately incorrect. The fruit peach is an unrelated word that traces back to the Latin phrase malum persicum, literally meaning "Persian fruit." The verb blossomed from Middle English apechen ("to accuse"), itself an offspring of the Anglo-French verbs apecher and empecher, both meaning "to ensnare." Empecher is also an ancestor of the English verb impeach, meaning "to bring an accusation against." Both of these English verbs can be traced back to Latin impedicare, meaning "to shackle the feet," and that word is itself rooted in ped-, pes, meaning "foot."

Examples of peach in a Sentence

Noun fondly remembers his old Studebaker as being a peach of a car

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Swig’s drink menu includes the Raspberry Dream (Dr Pepper, raspberry puree and coconut cream), Beach Babe (Mountain Dew, raspberry, peach and vanilla cream) and Poppin’ Pineapple (Sprite, pineapple, watermelon and strawberry popping pearls). —

Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 22 May 2024 Stock up on peaches from Western Slope farms, listen to live music, munch on bites from food trucks and soak up the beauty of harvest season, all while admiring the views of the Book Cliffs. —

Sarah Kuta, The Denver Post, 21 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for peach

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peach.' 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

Noun

Middle English peche, from Anglo-French pesche, peche (the fruit), from Late Latin persica, from Latin (malum) persicum, literally, Persian fruit

Verb

Middle English pechen, short for apechen to accuse, from Anglo-French apecher, empecher to ensnare — more at impeach

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1560, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler

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

See more words from the same century

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Peach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peach. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

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Kids Definition

peach

noun

ˈpēch

: a sweet juicy fruit with white or yellow flesh, a thin fuzzy skin, and a single seed enclosed in a rough stony covering that is produced by a low spreading Chinese tree related to the plums and cherries and grown in most temperate areas

also : this tree

: a moderate yellowish pink

Last Updated: 25 May 2024 - Updated example sentences

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peach

noun

verb

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Synonyms

Examples of peach in a Sentence

Word History

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Dictionary Entries Near peach

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