gooseberry Hear it!

gooseberry definition

goose·berry (go̵̅o̅s′ber′ē, -bə rē; go̵̅o̅z′-)

noun pl. gooseberries -·ries

  1. a small, sour berry used in making preserves, pies, etc.: it resembles a currant but is larger
  2. any of various prickly shrubs (genus Ribes) of the saxifrage family which produce gooseberries

Etymology: as if < goose + berry, but prob. folk-etym. form for *grose berie, akin to dial. grosel, gooseberry (< Fr groseille), Du kruisbezie, Ger krausbeere

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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