Berry

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɛɹi/

Definitions

1. A small, pulpy fruit that typically contains seeds and grows on bushes or vines
2. A small fruit characterized by its juicy texture and numerous seeds, which often grows in clusters on plants or is produced by certain flowering plants
3. A type of fleshy fruit with seeds embedded throughout its pericarp, commonly produced by shrubs or herbaceous plants

Etymology: The fruit sense of "berry" is a fairly recent narrowing. Its Old English ancestor "berġe" was not a fruit at all but a word for a hill or mound, and the same root gave modern German "Berg" and Dutch "berg," both still meaning "mountain." How a word for a hill came to name a juicy fruit is not something the record makes clear, but the root survives in Scots "burrow," which meant a mound or tumulus. Along the way the word also took on other lives. A different Middle English "bery" meant a burrow, and a separate verb "beryen" meant to crush or harass, a sense that lingers in Scots "berry" for threshing grain. Those senses are unrelated to the fruit sense except by coincidence of spelling. The slang use of "berry" for a police car is a more recent development, probably named for the revolving lights on the roof of the vehicle.

Synonyms: fruit, drupe