Cornel

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of small fruit-bearing tree or shrub belonging to the dogwood family, often known for its edible berries
2. A species of plant characterized by its hard, dark wood and clusters of bright, red, or yellow fruits that are edible and tart
3. A deciduous tree or shrub typically found in temperate regions, valued for its ornamental qualities and the small, sour fruits it produces

Etymology: The word "cornel" names the dogwood, and its history runs through a Latin tree-name that was later confused with a bird. The Latin "cornus" was the name of the European cornel, a shrub that bears small red fruit and whose wood was prized for spear shafts and tool handles. Speakers of Latin later formed a diminutive, "cornicula", from which Old French drew "corneille", meaning crow or jackdaw. The French word had nothing to do with the tree, but its form was close enough that the two drifted together in the minds of speakers. Middle English borrowed "corneille" in the sense of the bird, and the tree name followed a parallel path into English, so the shrub and the crow share one ancestry even though their meanings diverged. The bird-word "corneille" survives in modern English only through this history, while the plant name persists in literary and botanical usage.

Synonyms: dogwood, cornelian cherry, Cornus, sorbus, benthamidia