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

‘Concorde’ is an especially compact barberry with deep burgundy foliage that holds throughout the summer before turning crimson in fall, together with the ripening rose hips.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 15, 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

Uncle Elijah," said the child, hurriedly, "do you mind, if we've got such a lot of time, I'd like to get a barberry leaf for my fire-flies.

From The Open Question a tale of two temperaments by Robins, Elizabeth