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bar·ber·ry

(bärbĕr′ē)

Any of various shrubs of the genus Berberis, having leaves that are often clustered, small yellow flowers, and red, orange, or blackish berries. They are grown as ornamentals or hedge plants.

[Middle English berberie, alteration (influenced by berye, berry) of Medieval Latin berberis, from Arabic barbārīs, ambirbārīs, amīrbārīs, of unknown origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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