Although commercially produced maraschino cherries are one of the sweetest, most cloying foods ever invented, their name actually derives from an Italian word meaning bitter. From this word—amaro—the Italians derived the name amarasca, which they gave to a kind of sour, black cherry. In time, amarasca was shortened to mamsca, which also became the name of a liqueur made from the fermented juice of the marasca cherry. English acquired the name of this liqueur in the late eighteenth century, and then used it at the beginning of the twentieth century in maraschino cherry, the name of a cherry marinated in the Italian liqueur. In the 1920s American manufacturers of maraschino cherries invented a process that used a solution of corn syrup and fructose, instead of real maraschino liqueur: the result was the modern, sweet, maraschino cherry. Incidentally, amaretto—the name of a liqueur made from almonds and apricot pits—also derives from the same Italian source as maraschino: amaretto is a diminutive of amaro and therefore literally means a little bitter. The almond flavoured liqueur probably also gave its name to an almond cookie now known as the amaretti. The story that these cookies get their name from a similar sounding Italian word meaning little loves—amoretti—is unfounded.
The term being referred to is a cherry that has been plucked prior to reaching its full maturity, and has subsequently been imbued with an artificial hue that is vibrant red in color, as well as an added flavor. Alternatively, it may refer to a cherry that has been preserved in a liqueur known as Maraschino.