checkerberry

[ chek-er-ber-ee ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

, plural check·er·ber·ries.

checkerberry

/ -brɪ; ˈtʃɛkəbərɪ /

the fruit of any of various plants, esp the wintergreen ( Gaultheria procumbens )
any plant bearing this fruit

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80; perhaps so named from its appearance

There's a powerful lot of them in the woods, like sassafras root and checkerberry and things like that.

Both boys breathed deep of the piney fragrance and filled their mouths with pungent "checkerberry" leaves.

He was very hungry but found a spring of 50 sweet water and some checkerberry leaves, and, thus refreshed, continued his flight.

We taste still the sting of checkerberry and woodsy flavor of the fragrant birch.

If he saw anywhere a particularly red checkerberry, he went that way; otherwise it was all one to him where he went.

April 23, 2024inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

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