barberry Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun any of numerous plants of the genus Berberis having prickly stems and yellow flowers followed by small red berries

OE. barbarin, barbere, OF. berbere.

(Bot.) A shrub of the genus Berberis, common along roadsides and in neglected fields. B. vulgaris is the species best known; its oblong red berries are made into a preserve or sauce, and have been deemed efficacious in fluxes and fevers. The bark dyes a fine yellow, esp. the bark of the root. Also spelt berberry.