elderberry
elderberry Lexical Profile
elderberry Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The small, dark purple or black berry-like drupe produced in drooping clusters by the elder shrub, widely cooked to make syrups, jams, pies, and wines.
"She simmered fresh elderberries with honey and ginger to prepare a traditional winter syrup."
Any deciduous shrub or small tree of the genus Sambucus in the family Adoxaceae, native to temperate and subtropical regions and cultivated for its flat-topped clusters of fragrant, creamy-white blossoms and dark berries.
"The wild elderberry along the garden fence burst into flat-topped clusters of fragrant white blossoms in early summer."
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Early Modern English as a compound of 'elder' (from Old English 'ellærn', referring to the shrub) and 'berry' (from Old English 'berie').
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.