gallberry

American  

[gawl-ber-ee, -buh-ree] / ˈgɔlˌbɛr i, -bə ri /

noun

plural

gallberries

1. either of two North American shrubs, Ilex glabra, the inkberry, or I. coriacea, having glossy leaves and white flowers.

2. the fruit of either of these shrubs.

---

Etymology

Origin of gallberry

An Americanism dating back to 1700–10; gall ³ + berry

Example Sentences

Clover honey, most packers agree, is dependably tasty with broad appeal, but relatively pedestrian in contrast to the darker, more robust honeys such as gallberry, Chinese tallow, or spotted knapweed.

From Slate • Sep. 10, 2014

Instead, I got Granny’s gallberry brush-broom off the back porch and swept the dirt clean around the steps.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

As they jolt over corduroy roads between pools of stagnant waters, the travelers look out wearily upon a sparse growth of gallberry and scrub-pine.

From Plantation Sketches by Devereux, Margaret

They would pick the berries off the gallberry bushes for red.

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Florida Narratives by Work Projects Administration