BARBERRY

barberry

(noun) any of numerous plants of the genus Berberis having prickly stems and yellow flowers followed by small red berries

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

barberry (plural barberries)

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

Source: Wiktionary

Bar"ber*ry, n. Etym: [OE. barbarin, barbere, OF. berbere.] (Bot.)

Definition: A shrub of the genus Berberis, common along roadsides and in neglected fields. B. vulgaris is the species best known; its oblong red berries are made into a preserve or sauce, and have been deemed efficacious in fluxes and fevers. The bark dyes a fine yellow, esp. the bark of the root. [Also spelt berberry.]

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition