bearberry

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

/ ˈbɛərˌbɛr i, -bə ri /

noun, plural bear·ber·ries.

any of several prostrate shrubs belonging to the genus Arctostaphylos, of the heath family, especially A. uva-ursi, having tonic, astringent leaves and bright-red berries.

cascara.

possum haw.

any of several other plants, as some species of cranberry.

Nearby words

bear's-paw, bear-baiting, bear-hug, bearable, bearbaiting, bearberry, bearcat, beard, beard moss, beard the lion, beard worm

Origin of bearberry

First recorded in 1615–25; bear² + berry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bearberry

There they dined on blueberries, and slept on thick beds of moss and low growing blueberry and bearberry plants.
The Island of Yellow Sands|E. C. [Ethel Claire] Brill
I certainly obtained better results with buchu and bearberry (Arctostaphylos).
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold
The Greek generic name, translated into English, becomes "bearberry."
The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits|Mary Elizabeth Parsons
Arctostaphylos (bearberry) and Andromeda are arctic and alpine genera occurring in Britain.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7|Various

Uva Ursi (Bearberry Leaves), leaves of red whortleberry, and others.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley

British Dictionary definitions for bearberry

bearberry

/ (ˈbɛəbərɪ) /

noun plural -ries

a trailing evergreen ericaceous shrub, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, with small pinkish-white flowers, red berries, and astringent leaves

alpine bearberry or black bearberry a related species, A. alpina of European mountains, having black berries

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