noun
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the berry-like fruit of the elder, used for making wines, jellies, etc
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another name for elder 1
Usage
What else does elderberry mean? Elderberries are edible, bluish purple berries popularly used to help fight colds and flus. Elderberries are humorously referenced in a popular quote from the 1975 comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail: "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of elderberry
First recorded in 1400–50, elderberry is from the late Middle English word eldirbery. See elder 2, berry
Explanation
The elderberry did not get its name for being old and wise. Instead, this tiny black fruit was named after the plant it comes from, and is often used to make jams and drinks. The elderberry is the dark purple fruit of the elder tree, found mainly in Europe and Asia. These berries are cherished for making delicious jams and syrups. Packed with vitamins and antioxidants, elderberries also offer numerous health benefits; however, it's important to cook them before eating, as raw elderberries can be toxic. The elder tree also produces beautiful white flowers, which are often used to make teas and other refreshing beverages.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In February, during a gnarly bout of the flu, I found both comfort and strength in my very first cup of elderberry lemon balm tea.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
Maybe they garner attention for purported health benefits, as did the native elderberry.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
Michel has his doubts about the balance of ingredients, the necessity of combining white almond purée, soy sauce and elderberry vinegar in a recipe that he suspects might benefit from some judicious editing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
Her “Treasure Tree” collection pays homage to trees that provide food, medicine or protection; the paper is printed with imagery of guava, elderberry, nickel trees and mangroves.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 26, 2023
The ditches were thronged with elderberry and dark with patches of mint down low.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Built around the metaphor of elderberries, a fruit that can heal or poison depending on how it's handled, the song captures the tension of staying in a relationship you know is toxic.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025
Back before California was settled by Europeans and others, the Miwok and Nisenan subsisted on a hunter-gatherer diet of acorns, venison, salmon, pine nuts, elderberries, and other berries and plants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2025
He uses walnut husks for brown, elderberries for black and grey and cardamom for the amber, yellow and shades of green.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2023
An ecosystem of butterfly bushes and elderberries has taken root inside the stone walls and must be removed.
From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
Shadow became aware of eyes on him: a handful of red cardinals stared at him from a skeletal elder bush, then returned to pecking at the clusters of black elderberries.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
