I. ˈrāz ə n noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English raisin, reisin, from Middle French, grape, from Latin racemus cluster of grapes or berries, of non-Indo-European origin; akin to the source of Greek rhag-, rhax berry, grape
1. : any of various grapes dried in the sun or by artificial heat, containing a high sugar percentage, and having a flavor quite different from that of the fresh grape
2. : a dark purplish red that is bluer and duller than pansy purple, bluer and lighter than dahlia purple (sense 1), bluer and paler than Bokhara, and bluer and less strong than redgrape
II. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
of grapes : to dry on the vine and take on an appearance like that of raisins