barberry

American  

[bahr-ber-ee, -buh-ree] / ˈbɑrˌbɛr i, -bə ri /

noun

plural

barberries

1. a shrub of the genus Berberis, especially B. vulgaris, having yellow flowers in elongated clusters.

2. the red, elongated, acid fruit of this shrub.

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barberry British  

/ ˈbɑːbərɪ /

noun

1. any spiny berberidaceous shrub of the widely distributed genus Berberis , esp B. vulgaris , having clusters of yellow flowers and orange or red berries: widely cultivated as hedge plants

2. the fruit of any of these plants

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Etymology

Origin of barberry

1350–1400; Middle English barbere < Medieval Latin barbaris (< Arabic barbāris ), with -baris conformed to bere berry

Example Sentences

Berberine is a chemical compound extracted from plants like goldenseal and barberry and often sold as a supplement, typically in capsules filled with yellow-tinged powder.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 12, 2023

Plucking a thorn from a nearby Japanese barberry bush, he scraped the yellow dust off, revealing three painted dots underneath.

From New York Times • Oct. 16, 2021

"Three of the most common ornamental species that are actually invasive are burning bush, privet, and barberry, but there are dozens of others."

From Salon • Sep. 17, 2021

They dug out more than 30 barberry, nandina and other mature shrubs, but the makeover really picked up steam when Leider got his hands on a sod-cutter.

From Washington Post • Jul. 20, 2021

Not many rods from the vireos' cedar-tree was a brown thrasher's nest in a barberry bush.

From A Rambler's lease by Torrey, Bradford