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baneberry

[ beyn-ber-ee, -buh-ree ]
/ ˈbeɪnˌbɛr i, -bə ri /
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noun, plural bane·ber·ries.
any plant belonging to the genus Actaea, of the buttercup family, having large compound leaves, spikes of small white flowers, and poisonous red or white berries.
the berry of such a plant.
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Origin of baneberry

First recorded in 1745–55; bane + berry

Words nearby baneberry

bandy-bandy, bandy-legged, bandy legs, Bandywallop, bane, baneberry, baneful, Banerjea, Banff, Banff National Park, Banffshire
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use baneberry in a sentence

  • There is baneberry, whose very name sufficiently describes its dangerous nature.

    Falling in Love|Grant Allen

  • Even as it was, I felt myself fortunate to have seen the baneberry in one of its few native haunts.

    The Call of the Wildflower|Henry S. Salt

  • I am also equally curious to know if anything eats the fruit of the red and white baneberry and the blue cohosh.

    Ways of Nature|John Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for baneberry

baneberry
/ (ˈbeɪnbərɪ) /
noun plural -ries
Also called: (Brit) herb Christopher, (US) cohosh any ranunculaceous plant of the genus Actaea, esp A. spicata, which has small white flowers and red or white poisonous berries
a berry of any of these plants
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
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