bearberry

[ bair-ber-ee, -buh-ree ]

noun,plural bear·ber·ries.
  1. any of several prostrate shrubs belonging to the genus Arctostaphylos, of the heath family, especially A. uva-ursi, having tonic, astringent leaves and bright-red berries.

  1. any of several other plants, as some species of cranberry.

Origin of bearberry

1
First recorded in 1615–25; bear2 + berry

Words Nearby bearberry

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How to use bearberry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bearberry

bearberry

/ (ˈbɛəbərɪ) /


nounplural -ries
  1. a trailing evergreen ericaceous shrub, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, with small pinkish-white flowers, red berries, and astringent leaves

  2. alpine bearberry or black bearberry a related species, A. alpina of European mountains, having black berries

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012