Guinea \Guin"ea\ (g[i^]n"[-e]), n.
   1. A district on the west coast of Africa (formerly noted for
      its export of gold and slaves) after which the Guinea
      fowl, Guinea grass, Guinea peach, etc., are named.
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   2. A gold coin of England current for twenty-one shillings
      sterling, or about five dollars, but not coined since the
      issue of sovereigns in 1817.
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            The guinea, so called from the Guinea gold out of
            which it
            was first struck, was proclaimed in 1663, and to go
            for twenty shillings; but it never went for less
            than twenty-one shillings.            --Pinkerton.
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   Guinea corn. (Bot.) See Durra.

   Guinea Current (Geog.), a current in the Atlantic Ocean
      setting southwardly into the Bay of Benin on the coast of
      Guinea.

   Guinea dropper one who cheats by dropping counterfeit
      guineas. [Obs.] --Gay.

   Guinea fowl, Guinea hen (Zool.), an African gallinaceous
      bird, of the genus Numida, allied to the pheasants. The
      common domesticated species (Numida meleagris), has a
      colored fleshy horn on each aide of the head, and is of a
      dark gray color, variegated with small white spots. The
      crested Guinea fowl (Numida cristata) is a finer
      species.

   Guinea grains (Bot.), grains of Paradise, or amomum. See
      Amomum.

   Guinea grass (Bot.), a tall strong forage grass (Panicum
      jumentorum) introduced. from Africa into the West Indies
      and Southern United States.

   Guinea-hen flower (Bot.), a liliaceous flower (Fritillaria
      Meleagris) with petals spotted like the feathers of the
      Guinea hen.

   Guinea peach. See under Peach.

   Guinea pepper (Bot.), the pods of the Xylopia aromatica,
      a tree of the order Anonace[ae], found in tropical West
      Africa. They are also sold under the name of Piper
      aethiopicum.

   Guinea plum (Bot.), the fruit of Parinarium excelsum, a
      large West African tree of the order Chrysobalane[ae],
      having a scarcely edible fruit somewhat resembling a plum,
      which is also called gray plum and rough-skin plum.

   Guinea worm (Zool.), a long and slender African nematoid
      worm (Filaria Medinensis) of a white color. It lives in
      the cellular tissue of man, beneath the skin, and produces
      painful sores.
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Plum \Plum\, n. [AS. pl[=u]me, fr. L. prunum; akin to Gr. ?, ?.
   Cf. Prune a dried plum.]
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   1. (Bot.) The edible drupaceous fruit of the Prunus
      domestica, and of several other species of Prunus;
      also, the tree itself, usually called plum tree.
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            The bullace, the damson, and the numerous varieties
            of plum, of our gardens, although growing into
            thornless trees, are believed to be varieties of the
            blackthorn, produced by long cultivation. --G.
                                                  Bentham.
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   Note: Two or three hundred varieties of plums derived from
         the Prunus domestica are described; among them the
         greengage, the Orleans, the purple gage, or
         Reine Claude Violette, and the German prune, are
         some of the best known.
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   Note: Among the true plums are;

   Beach plum, the Prunus maritima, and its crimson or
      purple globular drupes,

   Bullace plum. See Bullace.

   Chickasaw plum, the American Prunus Chicasa, and its
      round red drupes.

   Orleans plum, a dark reddish purple plum of medium size,
      much grown in England for sale in the markets.

   Wild plum of America, Prunus Americana, with red or
      yellow fruit, the original of the Iowa plum and several
      other varieties.
      [1913 Webster] Among plants called plum, but of other
      genera than Prunus, are;

   Australian plum, Cargillia arborea and Cargillia
      australis, of the same family with the persimmon.

   Blood plum, the West African H[ae]matostaphes Barteri.

   Cocoa plum, the Spanish nectarine. See under Nectarine.
      

   Date plum. See under Date.

   Gingerbread plum, the West African Parinarium
      macrophyllum.

   Gopher plum, the Ogeechee lime.

   Gray plum, Guinea plum. See under Guinea.

   Indian plum, several species of Flacourtia.
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   2. A grape dried in the sun; a raisin.
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   3. A handsome fortune or property; formerly, in cant
      language, the sum of [pounds]100,000 sterling; also, the
      person possessing it.
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   4. Something likened to a plum in desirableness; a good or
      choice thing of its kind, as among appointments,
      positions, parts of a book, etc.; as, the mayor rewarded
      his cronies with cushy plums, requiring little work for
      handsome pay
      [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]

   5. A color resembling that of a plum; a slightly grayish deep
      purple, varying somewhat in its red or blue tint.
      [PJC]

   Plum bird, Plum budder (Zool.), the European bullfinch.
      

   Plum gouger (Zool.), a weevil, or curculio (Coccotorus
      scutellaris), which destroys plums. It makes round holes
      in the pulp, for the reception of its eggs. The larva
      bores into the stone and eats the kernel.

   Plum weevil (Zool.), an American weevil which is very
      destructive to plums, nectarines, cherries, and many other
      stone fruits. It lays its eggs in crescent-shaped
      incisions made with its jaws. The larva lives upon the
      pulp around the stone. Called also turk, and plum
      curculio. See Illust. under Curculio.
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