elderberry

[el-der-ber-ee, -buh-ree]

noun

plural

elderberries 

1. the berrylike fruit of the elder, old, used in making wine and jelly.

2. elder.

elderberry

/ ˈɛldəˌbɛrɪ /

noun

1. the berry-like fruit of the elder, used for making wines, jellies, etc

2. another name for elder 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of elderberry¹

First recorded in 1400–50, elderberry is from the late Middle English word eldirbery. See elder ², berry

Example Sentences

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.

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We have passion fruit vines everywhere, and elderberry.

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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.

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Maybe they garner attention for purported health benefits, as did the native elderberry.

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He pressed the juice from elderberries he had garnered earlier in the month and stored it in clay pots to let it turn to wine.

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When To Use

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."