blackberry

The word “blackberry” means a thorny shrub that produces small, dark, edible berries made up of tiny clustered segments. In plain terms, a dark, clustered berry, or the prickly bush it grows on.

“Blackberry” is pronounced BLAK-buh-ree (/ˈblækbɛɹi/ in IPA).

Here is “blackberry” used in a sentence: “We planted a blackberry bush along the back fence.”

Depending on how it is used, “blackberry” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “blackberry” comes from Old English. From Old English blæcberġe, a straightforward combination of black and berry.

“Blackberry” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Blackberry” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a thorny shrub that produces small, dark, edible berries made up of tiny clustered segments.

Both are berries made up of tiny clustered segments, but a blackberry is dark, almost black when ripe, and its central core stays inside the fruit when picked, while a raspberry is typically red and hollow once picked. Blackberries also tend to be larger and have a more tart edge than raspberries.

The word is the same, but as a dictionary entry "blackberry" refers only to the thorny shrub and its dark, sweet-tart fruit, or the verb meaning to gather such berries. The capitalized "BlackBerry" smartphone brand is a separate proprietary name and not part of the common noun's meaning.

Used as a verb, "to blackberry" means to go out and gather blackberries, typically from wild bushes in late summer. This usage is more common in British English than in American English.