Punnet
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A small basket or receptacle for collecting and selling fruit, particularly strawberries. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK
"Thus, according to the same Year-Book, a sea-kale punnet measures 8 in. in diameter at the top and 7½ in. at the bottom, being 2 in. deep, while a radish punnet is 8 in. in diameter and 1 in. deep, if to hold six “hands,” or 9 in. by 1 in. for twelve “hands.” A mushroom punnet is 7 in. by 1 in., while a salading punnet is 5 in. by 2 in."
- 2 a small light basket used as a measure for fruits wordnet
Example
More examples"This punnet of strawberries isn't too fresh any more."
Etymology
Uncertain. First appears in the 1820s. Perhaps a diminutive of pun, a dialect variant of pound, the weight + -et. The suggestion that it is an eponym of Reginald Crundall Punnett (1875–1967), geneticist and grower of strawberries, is not chronologically possible. The suggestion it was an ancestor of his lacks evidence.
More for "punnet"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.