serviceberry

American  

[sur-vis-ber-ee] / ˈsɜr vɪsˌbɛr i /

noun

• serviceberries
  plural

1. the fruit of any service tree.

2. a North American shrub or small tree, Amelanchier canadensis, of the rose family, having serrate, oblong leaves, clusters of white flowers,and a berrylike fruit.

3. any of various other plants of the genus Amelanchier.

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serviceberry British  

/ ˈsɜːvɪsˌbɛrɪ /

noun

1. Also called: shadbush.  any of various North American rosaceous trees or shrubs of the genus Amelanchier, esp A. canadensis, which has white flowers and edible purplish berries

2. the fruit of any of these plants

3. the fruit of the service tree

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• serviceberries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of serviceberry

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; service ² + berry

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

serviceberry serviceberries

Also, I must ask: What is a serviceberry?

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2024

Standing in a patch of bitterroot, serviceberry and sage at the foot of Elk Mountain, Mr. Hettick called apps such as OnX “the best thing that’s happened to access in years.”

From New York Times ● Nov. 26, 2022

“Rain is good,” he said as he stood among the panoply of serviceberry, white western yarrow, pink seablush, great camas, fool’s onion, checker lily and Pacific crabapple.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 9, 2022

“Red buckeye, serviceberry, redbud, yellowbud, blackhaw viburnum and flowering dogwood.”

From Washington Times ● May 12, 2018

The stream was wooded with cottonwood, box-elder, and cherry, with currant and serviceberry bushes.

From The Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, Oregon and California To which is Added a Description of the Physical Geography of California, with Recent Notices of the Gold Region from the Latest and Most Authentic Sources by John Charles Frémont

For example, serviceberries are having a moment because they give you that multi-season, summer-fall fruits, and are such colorful hedges.

From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2023

Now the rolling hills have been reclaimed by ponderosa pines, arrowleaf balsamroot, serviceberries and lupines.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 9, 2022

Garlic mustard and chickweed at the start of spring, elderflower and nettle in the season; serviceberries, mulberries and mugwort in summer; and pawpaws, persimmons and crab apples in fall.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2022

While many younger Black people didn’t grow up going to the woods to “shop,” they have learned about lesser-known fruits such as serviceberries and the common cold remedy burdock root through books or the internet.

From New York Times ● Jul. 30, 2021

So too are the red and black gooseberries, serviceberries, chokecherry, and the black, red, yellow, and purple currant, which last seems to be a favourite food of the bear.

From History of the Expedition under the Command of Captains Lewis and Clark, Vol. I. To the Sources of the Missouri, Thence Across the Rocky Mountains and Down the River Columbia to the Pacific Ocean. Performed During the Years 1804-5-6. by Paul Allen