A small dark plum.
A place name inside a plum
Latin
Damascenus
‘Of Damascus’
into Old French
Old French
damascene
‘The Damascus plum’
into Middle English
Middle English
damasin
‘The damson plum’
became English
English
damson
‘The plum’
The plum’s name compresses a description meaning “of Damascus.” This route follows the French and English forms in Webster’s New World.
Merriam-Webster compresses the route to Middle English and Latin. Other Latin inflections and English spellings are alternatives, not additional steps.
The modern six-letter word hides a much longer geographical description.