bayberry

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

noun,plural bay·ber·ries.

any of several often aromatic trees or shrubs of the genus Myrica, as M. pensylvanica, of northeastern North America, and M. californica, of the western U.S.: Compare wax myrtle.
the berry of such a plant.

bay⁴ (def. 2).

Origin of bayberry

First recorded in 1570–80; bay⁴ + berry

Words Nearby bayberry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bayberry in a sentence

I conveyed the bayberry wax to Abb de Chalut, with your compliments, as you desired.
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. IV (of 12) | Various
He cantered away into the shrub-oaks and bayberry-bushes which chanced to grow there, but were hardly high enough to conceal him.
Cape Cod | Henry D. Thoreau
The darkness fell fast, and the supper dishes had to be put under some bayberry bushes until morning.
Betty Leicester | Sarah Orne Jewett
Evidently, by colonial time, twilight was coming on; for now the fragrant bayberry candles were lighted.
Virginia: The Old Dominion | Frank W. Hutchins and Cortelle Hutchins
The green bayberry candles grew dim, and in their fragrant smoke the old colonials faded away.
Virginia: The Old Dominion | Frank W. Hutchins and Cortelle Hutchins

British Dictionary definitions for bayberry

bayberry

bay

/ (ˈbeɪbərɪ) /

nounplural -ries

any of several North American aromatic shrubs or small trees of the genus Myrica, that bear grey waxy berries: family Myricaceae: See also wax myrtle
Also called: bay rum tree a tropical American myrtaceous tree, Pimenta racemosa, that yields an oil used in making bay rum

the fruit 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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