peach

1 of 2

noun

ˈpēch 

1

a

: 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

b

: the edible fruit of the peach

2

: a moderate yellowish pink

3

: 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."

Synonyms

Noun

• beaut
• beauty
• bee's knees
• cat's meow
• corker
• crackerjack
• crackajack
• daisy
• dandy
• dilly
• doozy
• doozie
• doozer
• dream
• honey
• hot stuff
• humdinger
• hummer
• jim-dandy
• knockout
• lollapalooza
• lulu [slang]
• nifty
• pip
• pippin
• ripper
• ripsnorter
• snorter
• sockdolager
• sockdologer
• standout
• sweetheart

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

Tart peach, fresh cut strawberry and a lime zest make this one a people pleaser. —Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

The eye shadow, liquid eyeliner, high-shine lipstick, and cream highlighter all coordinate in universally-flattering peaches, corals, and pinks. —Devon Abelman, Allure, 23 Nov. 2024

This silky, jelly-like mask uses Japanese peach extract, biomimetic squalane and Japense camellia oil to visibly improve the texture of lips overnight while also delivering deep hydration. —Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 5 Dec. 2024

Fish fillets from my brother, peaches for a future cobbler, and biscuits ideal for Sunday brunch added to the sumptuous tableau. —Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Nov. 2024

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

Phrases Containing peach

• green peach aphid
• lesser peach tree borer
• peach fuzz
• peach leaf curl
• peach tree borer

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

peach

noun

ˈpēch

1

: 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

2

: a moderate yellowish pink