berry
[ ber-ee ]
/ ˈbɛr i /
noun, plural ber·ries.
verb (used without object), ber·ried, ber·ry·ing.
to gather or pick berries: We went berrying this morning.
to bear or produce berries.
RELATED CONTENT
Why Do We Call Them Berries?The berry family is a linguistic invention particular to Germanic languages, like English. Other languages, like Spanish and French, do not combine the wide, diverse berry family into one group, but rather have very different words for blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries.
Nearby words
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-
Related formsber·ry·less, adjectiveber·ry·like, adjective
Definition for berry (2 of 2)
Berry
[ ber-ee; for 2 also French be-ree ]
/ ˈbɛr i; for 2 also French bɛˈri /
noun
Charles Edward AndersonChuck, born 1926, U.S. rock-'n'-roll singer, musician, and composer.
Also Ber·ri. a former province in central France.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for berry
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 Formsberried, 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
Word Origin and History for berry
berry
Old English berie, from Proto-Germanic *basjom (cf. Old Norse ber, Middle Dutch bere, German Beere "berry;" Old Saxon winber, Gothic weinabasi "grape"), of unknown origin. This and apple are the only native fruit names.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science 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
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