whortleberry

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

noun

plural

whortleberries 

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 : huckleberry.  hurt.  whort. a small Eurasian ericaceous shrub, Vaccinium myrtillus , greenish-pink flowers and edible sweet blackish berries

2. the fruit of this shrub

3. 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

"We might almost have known you were coming,” laughs my sister, "there is just your favourite dish, potato-cakes, and even whortleberries to go with them too.”

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The heroes are rewritten in sly anecdotes – “Scott stares at the Christmas tree”; they write mordant diary entries – “the drudgery of courage”; or “dream of whortleberry jam”.

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For the most part it was covered with a thick growth of gorse and whortleberry, and low tough thorns, though here and there clearings opened, the scars of recent fires.

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The cove had fields of considerable extent, covered with dwarf willows, juniper berry, black crakeberry, and whortleberry heath, with many patches of fine grass.

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The undergrowth consists of honeysuckle, alder, whortleberry, a plant like the mountain-holly, green brier, and fern.

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