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berry

[ ber-ee ]

/ ˈbɛr i /

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See synonyms for berry on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural ber·ries.

any small, usually stoneless, juicy fruit, irrespective of botanical structure, as the huckleberry, strawberry, or hackberry.

Botany. a simple fruit having a pulpy pericarp in which the seeds are embedded, as the grape, gooseberry, currant, or tomato.

a dry seed or kernel, as of wheat.

the hip of the rose.

one of the eggs of a lobster, crayfish, etc.

the berries, Older Slang. someone or something very attractive or unusual.

verb (used without object), ber·ried, ber·ry·ing.

to gather or pick berries: We went berrying this morning.

to bear or produce berries.

VIDEO FOR BERRY

Are These Foods Fruits, Vegetables, Or Berries?

How can we know what is a fruit? A vegetable? A berry? A nut? Doesn't it seem like it's always changing? Why is it so confusing?

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Origin of berry

before 1000; Middle English berie,Old English beri(g)e; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German beri (German Beere), Old Norse ber<Germanic basjá-; akin to Dutch besie,Gothic -basi<Germanic básja-

OTHER WORDS FROM berry

ber·ry·less, adjectiveber·ry·like, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH berry

Barry, berry , bury

Words nearby berry

rough on, be, Berra, berretta, berried, Berrigan, berry, berry aneurysm, Berry, Chuck, berryfruit, Berryman, berry spoon

Other definitions for berry (2 of 2)

Berry

[ ber-ee; for 2 also French be-ree ]

/ ˈbɛr i; for 2 also French bɛˈri /

noun

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck", 1926–2017, U.S. rock-'n'-roll singer, musician, and composer.

Also Berri. a former province in central France.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use berry in a sentence

All the weird berries and bugs and plants and trees were always out there, undergoing dramatic changes every four months.
What We Learned About Ourselves In the First Year of the Pandemic|Susanna Schrobsdorff|February 28, 2021|Time
There are stories about a woman who tried to pick berries after the death of a child, and the bush dried up, never grew back.
I Rejected the Native Grieving Ceremonies My Mother Taught Me When She Died. But Losing Friends During the Pandemic Changed That|Terese Marie Mailhot|December 28, 2020|Time
Stirring is crucial, because it breaks down the berries while preventing over-caramelization, which may cause the jam to stick to the bottom of your pot.
This twist on the classic Linzer cookie adds gentle sweetness and texture with corn flour|Roxana Jullapat|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
Transfer to the oven and roast for about 10 minutes, or until the berries begin to soften.
Tart roasted cranberries and a billowy meringue topping take this pie in a bright, bold direction|Erin Jeanne McDowell|November 12, 2020|Washington Post

Even harnessing the natural antioxidant powers of berries might help.
Surviving Mars missions will take planning and lots of innovation|Maria Temming|October 22, 2020|Science News For Students
Jason Berry received a 1992 Alicia Patterson Fellowship for his coverage of demagogues in Louisiana.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Very few district attorneys are willing to go after a bishop,” says Berry.
How Sicko Priests Got Away With It|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“It sounds horrible,” Camden Green Party Councillor Sian Berry told The Mirror.
The X Factor of Sex Invades Britain: Rebecca More’s ‘Sex Tour’ Enrages UK Politicians|Marlow Stern|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jason Berry was coproducer of the Frontline film, “Secrets of the Vatican.”
How the ‘Witch Hunt’ Myth Undermined American Justice|Jason Berry|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Until they do, Berry utilizes her star quality to keep us riveted and awaiting whatever twist comes next.
Surprise! Halle Berry’s Career Is ‘Extant’|Jason Lynch|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bordering them were great quantities of berry-laden snow-berry bushes, of which I am very fond.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
It was interesting to see the piles of berry crates loaded upon the steamer from the docks extending out into the lake.
The value of a praying mother|Isabel C. Byrum
William Berry, an English author, died at Bristol, aged 77; author of various works on genealogy and heraldry.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Dealers in wool, acting as selling agents for owners, and buying agents for fleece merchants of Berry.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
There is no berry so fascinating nor so delicious to me as a raspberry, especially at breakfast, half hidden under golden cream.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for berry (1 of 2)

berry

/ (ˈbɛrɪ) /

noun plural -ries

any of various small edible fruits such as the blackberry and strawberry

botany an indehiscent fruit with two or more seeds and a fleshy pericarp, such as the grape or gooseberry

any of various seeds or dried kernels, such as a coffee bean

the egg of a lobster, crayfish, or similar animal

verb -ries, -rying or -ried (intr)

to bear or produce berries

to gather or look for berries

Derived forms of berry

berried, adjective

Word Origin for berry

Old English berie; related to Old High German beri, Dutch bezie

British Dictionary definitions for berry (2 of 2)

Berry

noun

(ˈbɛrɪ) Chuck, full name Charles Edward Berry . born 1926, US rock-and-roll guitarist, singer, and songwriter. His frequently covered songs include "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), "Memphis, Tennessee" (1959), and "Promised Land" (1964)

(French bɛri) Jean de France (ʒɑ̃ də frɑ̃s), Duc de. 1340–1416, French prince, son of King John II; coregent (1380–88) for Charles VI and a famous patron of the arts

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

Scientific definitions for berry

berry

[ bĕr′ē ]

A simple fruit that has many seeds in a fleshy pulp. Grapes, bananas, tomatoes, and blueberries are berries. Compare drupe pome. See more at simple fruit.

A seed or dried kernel of certain kinds of grain or other plants such as wheat, barley, or coffee.

Usage

Cucumbers and tomatoes aren't usually thought of as berries, but to a botanist they are in fact berries, while strawberries and raspberries are not. In botany, a berry is a fleshy kind of simple fruit consisting of a single ovary that has multiple seeds. Other true berries besides cucumbers and tomatoes are bananas, oranges, grapes, and blueberries. Many fruits that are popularly called berries have a different structure and thus are not true berries. For example, strawberries and raspberries are aggregate fruits, developed from multiple ovaries of a single flower. The mulberry is not a true berry either. It is a multiple fruit, like the pineapple, and is made up of the ovaries of several individual flowers.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.