gooseberry

American  

[goos-ber-ee, -buh-ree, gooz-] / ˈgusˌbɛr i, -bə ri, ˈguz- /

noun

gooseberries plural

1. the edible, acid, globular, sometimes spiny fruit of certain prickly shrubs belonging to the genus Ribes, of the saxifrage family, especially R. uva-crispa (orR. grossularia ).

2. a shrub bearing this fruit.

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gooseberry British  

/ ˈɡʊzbərɪ, -brɪ /

noun

1. a Eurasian shrub, Ribes uva-crispa (or R. grossularia ), having greenish, purple-tinged flowers and ovoid yellow-green or red-purple berries: family Grossulariaceae See also currant

2. 1. the berry of this plant

   2. ( as modifier )

      gooseberry jam

3. informal an unwanted single person in a group of couples, esp a third person with a couple (often in the phrase play gooseberry )

4. a tropical American solanaceous plant, Physalis peruviana, naturalized in southern Africa, having yellow flowers and edible yellow berries See also ground cherry

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Etymology

Origin of gooseberry

First recorded in 1525–35; goose + berry

Example Sentences

When you reach Gooseberry Point, you’ll find another amazing view as it overlooks the scenic Virgin River.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 24, 2021

You can rent kayaks there or farther south at Lindenwood Park on the Fargo side — which also rents bikes and has a cool pedestrian bridge to Gooseberry Mound Park in Moorhead.

From Washington Post • Aug. 15, 2018

Besides the Phoenix units, there was a line of older ships towed into place and sunk offshore to create a breakwater called a Gooseberry.

From Time • Jun. 6, 2016

One New Zealand winery even named a bottle after the scent—“Cat’s Pee on a Gooseberry Bush.”

From Slate • Jul. 3, 2012

Olive ate even more: Gooseberry tarts and currant bread and cream trifle and plum pudding and chocolate bonbons and spice cake—all dribbled over with butter rum sauce and apricot sauce and peppermint sauce.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine