barberry

[ bahr-ber-ee, -buh-ree ]

noun

, plural bar·ber·ries.

1. a shrub of the genus Berberis, especially B. vulgaris, having yellow flowers in elongated clusters. Compare barberry family.
2. the red, elongated, acid fruit of this shrub.

barberry

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of barberry¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of barberry¹

C15: from Old French berberis , from Arabic barbāris

Example Sentences

Inside there was no longer a hint of Mrs. Barberry, even a dropped handkerchief agreeably scented.

From Project Gutenberg

Val fled to the wilderness, and in the neighborhood of the barberry-bush flung out her arms and apostrophized the heavens.

From Project Gutenberg

Here the first generation grows on barberry leaves, and produces a kind of spore called an æcidium spore.

From Project Gutenberg

The teleutospores only germinate on barberry leaves, and there reproduce the original æcidium generation.

From Project Gutenberg

Berberis Thunbergii, or Barberry, makes a fine hedge, on account of its beautiful foliage and scarlet fruit.

From Project Gutenberg