serviceberry

[ sur-vis-ber-ee ]

noun,plural serv·ice·ber·ries.
  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.

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

Origin of serviceberry

1
An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; service2 + berry

Words Nearby serviceberry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use serviceberry in a sentence

  • The woodcut began with a drawing in pen-and-ink on the plank surface of a smooth-grained wood such as pear, serviceberry, or box.

    Why Bewick Succeeded | Jacob Kainen
  • In his eyes was the vision of nest and mate, where the serviceberry thicket grew by the wide sub-arctic waters.

    The Kindred of the Wild | Charles G. D. Roberts

British Dictionary definitions for serviceberry

serviceberry

/ (ˈsɜːvɪsˌbɛrɪ) /


nounplural -ries
  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

  1. the fruit of the service tree

  • Also called (for senses 1, 2): shadberry, Juneberry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012