snowberry

American  

[snoh-ber-ee, -buh-ree] / ˈsnoʊˌbɛr i, -bə ri /

noun

plural

snowberries

1. a North American shrub, Symphoricarpos albus, of the honeysuckle family, cultivated for its ornamental white berries.

2. any of certain other white-berried plants.

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snowberry British  

/ -brɪ, ˈsnəʊbərɪ /

noun

1. any of several caprifoliaceous shrubs of the genus Symphoricarpos, esp S. albus, cultivated for their small pink flowers and white berries

2. Also called: waxberry.  any of the berries of such a plant

3. any of various other white-berried plants

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Etymology

Origin of snowberry

An Americanism dating back to 1750–60; snow + berry

Example Sentences

We’ve grown especially fond of snowberry, flowering currant, our two native strawberries, wood sorrel, vine maple and of course, our state flower, the Pacific rhododendron.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 29, 2023

The logs are covered in mulch, on which crews planted more than 30,000 native plants, shrubs and trees: Nootka rose, snowberry, cottonwoods, Lyngbye’s sedge, beach grass.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 15, 2023

Rumor is that this snowberry is reasonably deer-resistant, but it’s probably too soon to tell.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2022

McCleary typically paints them not much differently from those hearty limes or snowberry honeysuckles.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2018

The althæa and snowberry bushes in the flower-pots, and even the stunted box-edges along the paths, swayed in the wind.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. 26, October, 1880 by Various