3. (Bot.)
Defn: A shrub or bush of several species of the genus Ribes (a genus also including the gooseberry); esp., the Ribes rubrum. Black currant,a shrub or bush (Ribes nigrum and R. floridum) and its black, strong-flavored, tonic fruit. — Cherry currant, a variety of the red currant, having a strong, symmetrical bush and a very large berry. — Currant borer (Zoöl.), the larva of an insect that bores into the pith and kills currant bushes; specif., the larvae of a small clearwing moth (Ægeria tipuliformis) and a longicorn beetle (Psenocerus supernotatus). — Currant worm (Zoöl.), an insect larva which eats the leaves or fruit of the currant. The most injurious are the currant sawfly (Nematus ventricosus), introduced from Europe, and the spanworm (Eufitchia ribearia). The fruit worms are the larva of a fly (Epochra Canadensis), and a spanworm (Eupithecia). — Flowering currant, Missouri currant, a species of Ribes (R. aureum), having showy yellow flowers.
CURRENCY
Cur"ren*cy (kr"rn-c), n.; pl. Currencies (-s. Etym: [Cf. LL.
currentia a current, fr. L. currens, p. pr. of currere to run. See
Current.]
1. A continued or uninterrupted course or flow like that of a sream; as, the currency of time. [Obs.] Ayliffe.
2. The state or quality of being current; general acceptance or reception; a passing from person to person, or from hand to hand; circulation; as, a report has had a long or general currency; the currency of bank notes.
3. That which is in circulation, or is given and taken as having or representing value; as, the currency of a country; a specie currency; esp., government or bank notes circulating as a substitute for metallic money.
4. Fluency; readiness of utterance. [Obs.]
5. Current value; general estimation; the rate at which anything is generally valued. He . . . takes greatness of kingdoms according to their bulk and currency, and not after intrinsic value. Bacon. The bare name of Englishman . . . too often gave a transient currency to the worthless and ungrateful. W. Irving.
CURRENT Cur"rent (kr"rent), a. Etym: [OE. currant, OF. curant, corant, p. pr. of curre, corre, F. courre, courir, to run, from L. currere; perh. akin to E. horse. Cf. Course, Concur, Courant, Coranto.]
1. Running or moving rapidly. [Archaic] Like the current fire, that renneth Upon a cord. Gower. To chase a creature that was current then In these wild woods, the hart with golden horns. Tennyson.