mulberry
Americannoun
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mulberries
plural
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the edible, berrylike collective fruit of any tree of the genus Morus.
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a tree of this genus, as M. rubra red mulberry, or American mulberry bearing dark-purple fruit, M. nigra black mulberry bearing dark-colored fruit, or M. alba white mulberry bearing nearly white fruit and having leaves used as food for silkworms.
noun
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any moraceous tree of the temperate genus Morus, having edible blackberry-like fruit, such as M. alba ( white mulberry ), the leaves of which are used to feed silkworms
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the fruit of any of these trees
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any of several similar or related trees, such as the paper mulberry and Indian mulberry
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a dark purple colour
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( as adjective )
a mulberry dress
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Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mulberry
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English mulberie, dissimilated variant of murberie, Old English mōrberie, equivalent to mōr- (from Latin mōrum “mulberry”) + berie; see origin at berry
Vocabulary lists containing mulberry
Purple
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It involves feeding mulberry leaves to silkworms, harvesting their cocoons and extracting the silk fibres.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
That problem is largely attributed to paper mulberry trees, which were planted extensively during the city's early development.
From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026
Hiemer smuggled part of his mother’s earthy remains to his garden, he said, and planted a mulberry tree.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
But one thing managed to survive Operation Big Bang: a prominent, gnarled mulberry tree that survived the 1947 blast and is now known today as the “Miracle of Helgoland.”
From National Geographic ● Jan. 17, 2024
I’d felt it even before the mulberry tree.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
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“And I’m getting smiles in response” — his eucalyptus, mulberries and bird of paradise appreciating him in the afterlife.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2024
In the green valley grew apples, walnuts and mulberries.
From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2023
Regan’s mother, Sandra Lee, canned peaches from their tree and picked mulberries for hand pies.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 30, 2023
That was followed by an ice cream and a lovely stroll through the gardens, which include lakes, wildflower meadows, ancient oaks, beehives and the descendants of mulberries planted by James I in 1608.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 8, 2021
We would sit across from each other on a pair of high branches, our naked feet dangling, our trouser pockets filled with dried mulberries and walnuts.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.