cherrystone
noun
Forms cherrystones
- noun (used as a size classification by fish merchants) Ellipsis of cherrystone clam, a hard clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) that has grown to a size within a certain range, being larger than a countneck, littleneck or topneck but smaller than a quahog.
- noun Alternative spelling of cherry stone.
Synonyms
Etymology
From cherry + stone. The name of the clam came from a fancied resemblance to a cherry's stone. The fancied resemblance is in shape, color, and sheen, not in size; the clams are several inches across.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “cherrystone”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details