berry
1 Americannoun
plural
berries-
any small, usually stoneless, juicy fruit, irrespective of botanical structure, as the huckleberry, strawberry, or hackberry.
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Botany. a simple fruit having a pulpy pericarp in which the seeds are embedded, as the grape, gooseberry, currant, or tomato.
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a dry seed or kernel, as of wheat.
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the hip of the rose.
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one of the eggs of a lobster, crayfish, etc.
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Older Slang. the berries, someone or something very attractive or unusual.
verb (used without object)
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to gather or pick berries.
We went berrying this morning.
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to bear or produce berries.
noun
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Charles Edward Anderson Chuck, 1926–2017, U.S. rock-'n'-roll singer, musician, and composer.
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Also Berri. a former province in central France.
noun
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any of various small edible fruits such as the blackberry and strawberry
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botany an indehiscent fruit with two or more seeds and a fleshy pericarp, such as the grape or gooseberry
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any of various seeds or dried kernels, such as a coffee bean
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the egg of a lobster, crayfish, or similar animal
verb
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to bear or produce berries
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to gather or look for berries
noun
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Chuck , full name Charles Edward Berry . born 1926, US rock-and-roll guitarist, singer, and songwriter. His frequently covered songs include "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll Over Beethoven" (1956), "Johnny B. Goode" (1958), "Memphis, Tennessee" (1959), and "Promised Land" (1964)
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Jean de France (ʒɑ̃ də frɑ̃s), Duc de. 1340–1416, French prince, son of King John II; coregent (1380–88) for Charles VI and a famous patron of the arts
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A simple fruit that has many seeds in a fleshy pulp. Grapes, bananas, tomatoes, and blueberries are berries.
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Compare drupe pome See more at simple fruit
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A seed or dried kernel of certain kinds of grain or other plants such as wheat, barley, or coffee.
Usage
What does berry mean? A berry is a small, stoneless, juicy fruit.Commonly, a berry is any small fruit that has no pit and usually produces juice. Berries range from sweet, such as the blueberry, to sour, such as the raspberry.In botany, a berry is specifically a fruit with a pulpy outer wall and many seeds. Botanically, then, some fruits commonly thought of as berries are not actually berries, including strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Fruits that botanically are berries include blueberries, bananas, grapes, and tomatoes.Less commonly, berry can also refer to a dry seed or kernel.As a verb, to berry means to pick berries or to produce berries.Example: We picked berries today, filling up three whole baskets.
Other Word Forms
- berried adjective
- berryless adjective
- berrylike adjective
Etymology
Origin of berry
before 1000; Middle English berie, Old English beri ( g ) e; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German beri ( German Beere ), Old Norse ber < Germanic basjá-; akin to Dutch besie, Gothic -basi < Germanic básja-
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even better, behind the beach were marshes filled with long, tasty grass, and set farther back were bushes and bushes of delicious wild berries.
From Literature
Maybe I could find some early berries, or some edible mushrooms, so I could save Martha’s bread and pie for later.
From Literature
Drinking tea with goji berries and red dates has helped ease her period symptoms.
I would read her texts and reply from Barnsdall, with a book recommendation of hers in tow, the note card of painted berries as its bookmark, or from the beach.
From Los Angeles Times
“I’ve been a victim of fashion, unjustly applying berry passion,” goes the final refrain.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
