whortleberry

whortleberry

English

Ripe whortleberries, Vaccinium myrtillus

Etymology

Alteration of Middle English hurtilbery, equivalent to whortle +‎ berry. Compare English huckleberry.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɝtl̩bɛɹi/, /ˈhwɝtl̩-/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwɜːtl̩bəɹi/, /ˈhɜːtl̩bəɹi/
• Hyphenation: whor‧tle‧ber‧ry

Noun

whortleberry (plural whortleberries)

1. Any of several shrubs belonging to the genus Vaccinium:
   1. Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry or blue whortleberry);
   2. Vaccinium vitis-idaea (lingonberry or red whortleberry);
   3. Vaccinium uliginosum (bog whortleberry or bilberry).
2. A berry of one of these shrubs.

Synonyms

• (shrubs): whortle bush

Translations

berry of a shrub of genus Vaccinium

French: myrtille (fr) f Latin: vaccīnium n

Spanish: arándano (es)