English Explanatory Dictionary

hagberry

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Prunus padus, a species of cherry native to northern Europe and northern Asia, the bird cherry.
  2. Its bittersweet astringent fruit, readily eaten by birds.

Word forms

hagberry hagberries

Etymology

From hag + berry. According to Some Folklore of Trees, Animals, and River-fishing from the N.E. of Scotland, "The wood of the 'hackberry' or bird-cherry (Prunus padus) is not used as a staff or for any other purpose, as it is looked on as the witch's tree."

Synonyms

bird cherry hag hackberry
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