[per.sim.mon] n [Virginia Algonquian pessemmin] (1612) 1: any of a genus (Diospyros) of trees of the ebony family with hard fine wood, oblong leaves, and small bell-shaped flowers; esp: an American tree (D. virginiana) or a Japanese tree (D. kaki)
2: the usu. orange several-seeded globular berry of a persimmon that is edible when fully ripe but usu. extremely astringent when unripe