mulberry

noun

mul·ber·ry | \ ˈməl-ˌber-ē

, -b(ə-)rē\

Definition of mulberry

1 : any of a genus (Morus of the family Moraceae, the mulberry family) of trees with an edible usually purple multiple fruit that is an aggregate of juicy one-seeded drupes also : the fruit

2 : a dark purple or purplish black

Examples of mulberry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One morning a few weeks ago, folks came to the Pasadena market at Victory Park more than an hour early to scope for peaches and mulberries, and were frustrated to find the latter gone or taken. — Los Angeles Times, "L.A. Farmers Market Guide: O’Henry peaches are coming," 19 Aug. 2019 Perhaps pruning out mulberry, Chinaberry and hackberry also reduced the usual available rubbing trunks? — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "How to deal with the garden damage from the dang deer," 9 Aug. 2019 For weeks, Didi and Gege had been studying the silkworms, which grew and grew, munching voraciously and continuously on fresh mulberry leaves, before spinning the nubby cocoons around themselves. — Vanessa Hua, SFChronicle.com, "The wonder of silkworms, past and present," 5 July 2019 After weeks of harsh heat his land, one and a half hectares (four acres) of peanuts, chillies and mulberry bushes, has turned to dust. — The Economist, "The South Asian monsoon, past, present and future," 27 June 2019 Top allergens in the area are grass, mulberry and hickory. — Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, "Why Louisville is one of the worst places to live with allergies," 25 Feb. 2019 This small town was (and still is) known for manufacturing goods out of mulberry bark and bamboo, like paper umbrellas and paper lanterns. — Carisha Swanson, House Beautiful, "Everything You Need to Know About the Noguchi Lamp," 1 Feb. 2019 The mother trees are somewhere else, and the seeds have been brought in by birds (mulberries, hackberries) or the wind (cottonwoods, willows and box elders). — Neil Sperry, star-telegram, "Volunteering is great but 'volunteer' plants are a whole different story," 1 June 2018 Oak, mulberry, sycamore, pine and walnut are all adding to the counts right now. — Angela Fritz, Washington Post, "Good news: Tree pollen is on the decline. Bad news: Grass allergies are ramping up.," 8 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mulberry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for mulberry

Middle English mulbere, mulbery, probably dissimilated from Old English *mūrberie, variant of mōrberie (with mūr- as in mūrbēam "mulberry tree"), from mūr- (borrowed from Medieval Latin mūrum, variant of Latin mōrum "black mulberry, blackberry," probably of Mediterranean substratal origin, as also Greek móron "black mulberry, blackberry," Armenian mor "blackberry") + berie berry entry 1

Note: The presumed dissimilated form represented by Middle English mulbere is paralleled by Middle Low German mūlbēre "mulberry" (next to mūrbēre), Old Saxon mūlbōm "mulberry tree" (in a gloss, next to mōrbōm), late Old High German mūlboum, mūlbere (in glosses, next to mūrberi, mōrberi, mūrboum). The assumption has been made that the Middle English word was borrowed from Middle Low German, though it seems more likely that dissimilated forms were passed northward through the West Germanic speech area—or developed independently—as the word diffused along with cultivation of the berry in the Carolingian period; cultivation of mulberries is mentioned in the late-8th-century Capitulare de villis dealing with the upkeep of Charlemagne's estates.

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More Definitions for mulberry

mulberry

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mulberry

: a type of tree that has purple berries that can be eaten

: a berry from a mulberry tree

See the full definition for mulberry in the English Language Learners Dictionary

mulberry

noun

mul·ber·ry | \ ˈməl-ˌber-ē

plural mulberries

Kids Definition of mulberry

: a tree that has small edible usually purple fruit and leaves on which silkworms can be fed

mulberry

noun

mul·ber·ry | \ ˈməl-ˌber-ē, -b(ə-)rē

plural mulberries

Medical Definition of mulberry

: any of a genus (Morus of the family Moraceae, the mulberry family) of trees with an edible usually purple fruit that includes one (M. nigra) with a fruit whose juice is sometimes used for its medicinal properties also : the fruit

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mulberry

Definition of mulberry

Examples of mulberry in a Sentence

First Known Use of mulberry

History and Etymology for mulberry

English Language Learners Definition of mulberry

Kids Definition of mulberry

Medical Definition of mulberry

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