pokeberry

American  

[pohk-ber-ee, -buh-ree] / ˈpoʊkˌbɛr i, -bə ri /

noun

plural

pokeberries

1. the berry of the pokeweed.

2. the plant.

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pokeberry British  

/ ˈpəʊkbərɪ /

noun

1. Also called: inkberry.  the berry of the pokeweed

2. another name for the pokeweed

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Etymology

Origin of pokeberry

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75; poke ⁴ + berry

Example Sentences

It was as red as pokeberry juice and anything that color was supposed to be healthy.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

Instead, I made her a cornhusk doll, painting a face on it with pokeberry juice and fashioning a gown for it with a piece of cambric from Becky’s scrap bag.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

The locusts shrilled, the pines gave no shade, in the angle of the snake fences pokeberry and sumach drooped their dusty leaves.

From Lewis Rand by Johnston, Mary

Pastry: Rice pudding, pokeberry sauce; cottonwood-berry pie, à la iron-clad; chinaberry tart.

From Four Years in Rebel Capitals An Inside View of Life in the Southern Confederacy from Birth to Death by DeLeon, T. C.

I spent the day in buying from a farmer a full Quaker dress, and stained my face that night a fine brownish tint with stale pokeberry juice.

From Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker by Mitchell, S. Weir (Silas Weir)