blackberry

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. the thorny bush that produces blackberries.

n. any of the various perennial, usually thorny, shrubs of the genus Rubus.

“The garden was overgrown with blackberry bushes that scratched our legs.”

“The invasive blackberry had completely choked the native flora, its resilient canes forming an impenetrable wall of thorns across the abandoned pasture.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Computing

n. a brand of mobile phone with a small keyboard that was very popular in the 2000s.

n. a line of smartphones and tablets originally known for their physical QWERTY keyboards and secure push email capabilities.

“Before the iPhone became popular, many business people used a BlackBerry.”

“The executive was famously inseparable from his BlackBerry, constantly responding to emails via the device's signature tactile keyboard during the morning commute.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to go out and look for blackberries to pick.

v. to forage for or harvest blackberries in the wild.

“Every September, the family goes blackberrying in the nearby woods.”

“The villagers would traditionally go blackberrying in late summer, filling wicker baskets with the fruit before the first frosts arrived.”