whortleberry

[ hwur-tl-ber-ee, wur- ]

noun

, plural whor·tle·ber·ries.

1. the edible black berry of a Eurasian shrub, Vaccinium myrtillus, of the heath family.
2. the shrub itself.

whortleberry

/ ˈwɜːtəlˌbɛrɪ /

noun

1. Also called huckleberrydialecthurtwhort a small Eurasian ericaceous shrub, Vaccinium myrtillus , greenish-pink flowers and edible sweet blackish berries
2. the fruit of this shrub
3. bog whortleberry
   a related plant, V. uliginosum, of mountain regions, having pink flowers and black fruits

Word History and Origins

Origin of whortleberry¹

First recorded in 1570–80; dialectal variant of hurtleberry

Word History and Origins

Origin of whortleberry¹

C16: southwestern English dialect form of hurtleberry; of unknown origin

Example Sentences

The baked sweet apple and whortleberry seem to be least objectionable.

From Project Gutenberg

Fay leaned out of the pony carriage and picked from the high bank a spray of whortleberry with a butterfly poised on it.

From Project Gutenberg

Two heaths of arborescent growth and a whortleberry cover large tracts on the mountains.

From Project Gutenberg

Around it were beds of red phlox, red whortleberry bushes, and wild sunflowers.

From Project Gutenberg

At Raddevski several kinds of berries were offered us, but only the blackberry and whortleberry were familiar to my eyes.

From Project Gutenberg