ENGLISH
REFERENCE

strawberry

n. countable
A1 Beginner US //ˈstɹɔˌbɛɹi// UK //stɹˈɔːbəɹi// straw·ber·ry Archaic Slang

n. a small, soft, red fruit with tiny seeds on its skin. It is sweet and juicy, and people often eat it in desserts or with cream.

n. the sweet, fleshy, red fruit of a plant in the genus Fragaria, characterized by its external seeds. Often used as a flavor profile in culinary contexts.


SIMPLE

I like to eat a fresh strawberry for a snack.

CONTEXTUAL

The local farm allows families to pick their own strawberry baskets during the peak of the summer season.

COMPLEX

While often categorized as a berry in culinary terms, the strawberry is botanically an aggregate accessory fruit, as its seeds are located on the exterior of the receptacle.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ster-der. Proto-Indo-European *sterh₃- Proto-Indo-European *strew-der. Proto-Germanic *strawą Proto-West Germanic *strau Old English strēaw Proto-Germanic *bazją Proto-West Germanic *baʀi Old English berġe Old English strēawberġe Middle English strawbery English strawberry From Middle English strawbery, strauberi, from Old English strēawberġe, corresponding to straw + berry. Of various theories advanced to explain the name, the two most plausible are: # from the fact that wild strawberries grow on stalk-like runners, compare Norwegian stråbær (“European cranberry”, which grows in a similar way); # from the practice, still common in parts of Europe, of gathering strawberries by stringing them on a straw or stalk (because wild strawberries melt quickly when gathered in a bucket).

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