pokeberry

[ pohk-ber-ee, -buh-ree ]

noun

, plural poke·ber·ries.

1. the berry of the pokeweed.
2. the plant.

pokeberry

/ ˈpəʊkbərɪ /

noun

1. Also calledinkberry the berry of the pokeweed
2. another name for the pokeweed

Word History and Origins

Origin of pokeberry¹

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75; poke ⁴ + berry

Example Sentences

From the OPI Strawberry Margarita nail polish she wore to her Refinery29 interview to the berry-colored shades she said she used to derive from poisonous pokeberry plants in her youth, which she reportedly used as a lip stain and nail tint.

From Fox News

From the OPI Strawberry Margarita nail polish she wore to her Refinery29 interview to the berry-colored shades she said she used to derive from poisonous pokeberry plants in her youth, which she reportedly used as a lip stain and nail tint.

From Fox News

“Pokeberry ink was most famously used by Civil War soldiers to write love notes.”

From The New Yorker

“I have a garbage bag full of pokeweed in my studio! I swear, I just wrote on my calendar, ‘Learn how to make pokeberry dye.’

From The New Yorker

We’re introduced to Benjamin Lay, who in 1738 exhorted his fellow Quakers to renounce slavery in a dramatic speech involving a hollowed-out Bible and a pig’s bladder filled with crimson pokeberry juice.

From New York Times