cranberry

[ kran-ber-ee, -buh-ree ]

noun,plural cran·ber·ries.
  1. the red, acid fruit or berry of certain plants of the genus Vaccinium, of the heath family, as V. macrocarpon(large cranberry, or American cranberry ) or V. oxycoccus(small cranberry, or European cranberry ), used in making sauce, relish, jelly, or juice.

  2. the plant itself, growing wild in bogs or cultivated in acid soils, especially in the northeastern U.S.

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Origin of cranberry

1
An Americanism dating back to 1640–50; from Low German kraanbere; see crane, berry

Words Nearby cranberry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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British Dictionary definitions for cranberry

cranberry

/ (ˈkrænbərɪ, -brɪ) /


nounplural -ries
  1. any of several trailing ericaceous shrubs of the genus Vaccinium, such as the European V. oxycoccus, that bear sour edible red berries

  2. the berry of this plant, used to make sauce or jelly

Origin of cranberry

1
C17: from Low German kraanbere, from kraan crane + bere berry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012