Barberry

//ˈbɑɹbɛɹi// name, noun

name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of the thorny shrubs of genus Berberis, which bear yellow flowers and red or blue-black berries.

    "BOlvs in Engliſh is called a morſell. It is a medicine laxatiue, in forme & faſhion it is meanely whole, & it is ſwallowed by litle gobbets. […] ℞. medulla caſiæ fiſtulæ newly drawen. ℥. j. or ʒ. x. the graines (that is the kernelles) of barbaries. ℈. ß. and with ſugar roſet [sugar compounded with rose petals] make a bole."

  2. 2
    any of numerous plants of the genus Berberis having prickly stems and yellow flowers followed by small red berries wordnet
  3. 3
    The edible fruit of these shrubs.
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    Obsolete form of Beruwala. alt-of, obsolete

Synonyms

All synonyms
berberiscommon barberry

Example

More examples

"Tom planted barberry bushes against his back fence."

Etymology

From Middle English berberie, from Medieval Latin berberis (on which see Arabic بَرْبَارِيس (barbārīs)), influenced by berie (“berry”). Doublet of berberis and related to Berber.

Related phrases

California barberryJapanese barberryMagellan barberrycommon barberrycreeping barberryholly barberryholly-leaved barberry

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.