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raspberry

 - 6 dictionary results

rasp⋅ber⋅ry

[raz-ber-ee, -buh-ree, rahz-]
–noun, plural -ries.
1. the fruit of any of several shrubs belonging to the genus Rubus, of the rose family, consisting of small and juicy red, black, or pale yellow drupelets forming a detachable cap about a convex receptacle.
2. any shrub bearing this fruit.
3. a dark reddish-purple color.
4. Informal.
a. Bronx cheer.
b. any sign or expression of dislike or derision.

Origin:
1615–25; earlier rasp(is) raspberry (< ?) + berry; (def. 4) by shortening of raspberry tart, rhyming slang for fart

Bronx cheer

–noun
a loud, abrasive, spluttering noise made with the lips and tongue to express contempt. Also called raspberry. Compare bird (def. 15).

Origin:
1925–30, Americanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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rasp·ber·ry   (rāz'běr'ē)   
n.  
  1. Any of various shrubby, usually prickly plants of the genus Rubus in the rose family, such as R. idaeus var. strigosus of eastern North America and R. idaeus of Europe, that bear edible fruit.

  2. The aggregate fruit of any of these plants, consisting of many small, fleshy, usually red drupelets.

  3. A moderate to dark or deep purplish red.

  4. Slang A derisive or contemptuous sound made by vibrating the extended tongue and the lips while exhaling.


[Obsolete raspis, raspberry + berry. Sense 4, possibly short for raspberry tart, rhyming slang for fart.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
Bronx cheer [ˈbrɑŋks ˈtʃir]

  1. n.
    a rude noise made with the lips; a raspberry. : The little air compressor in the corner of the parking lot made a noise like a Bronx cheer.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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raspberry [ˈræzbɛri]

  1. n.
    the Bronx cheer. : The entire audience gave the performer the raspberry.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

raspberry 
1623, earlier raspis berry (1548), possibly from raspise "a sweet rose-colored wine" (c.1460), from Anglo-L. vinum raspeys, origin uncertain, as is the connection between this and O.Fr. raspe, M.L. raspecia, raspeium, also meaning "raspberry." One suggestion is via Old Walloon raspoie "thicket," of Gmc. origin. Meaning "rude sound" (1890) is shortening of raspberry tart, rhyming slang for fart.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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