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huckleberry

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈhəkəɫˌbɛɹi// UK //hˈʌklɪbəɹi// huck·le·ber·ry Slang

n. a small, round, dark purple berry that grows on bushes. It is a type of wild blueberry found in North America.

n. a small, edible, dark purple berry produced by various species of the genus Vaccinium, primarily found in North America. Often used interchangeably with 'blueberry' in regional dialects.


SIMPLE

We went picking huckleberries in the woods.

CONTEXTUAL

The local bakery is famous for its huckleberry pie, which uses wild berries picked from the nearby mountains.

COMPLEX

While the term is technically specific to Vaccinium membranaceum, many people in the Pacific Northwest use 'huckleberry' as a general term for any wild blueberry they find growing in the forest understory.

Origin

Probably an alteration of Middle English hurtilbery (“whortleberry”). American English from 1660s.

Idioms2 entries

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