bearberry
bearberry Lexical Profile
bearberry Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A low-growing, evergreen trailing shrub of the heath family (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), native to alpine and circumboreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere, characterized by its leathery leaves and small red berries.
"While hiking through the tundra, the botanist pointed out the dense mats of bearberry hugging the rocky soil."
The tart, bright red fruit produced by the bearberry shrub, which is edible but mealy, and serves as an important autumn food source for foraging wildlife.
"Although humans find the raw bearberry quite dry and flavorless, birds and small mammals eagerly consume them to prepare for winter."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the 17th century as a direct translation of the plant's scientific Latin epithet 'uva-ursi' (grape of the bear), as the berries were observed to be a favorite food of bears.