soapberry

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

noun

, plural soap·ber·ries.

1. the fruit of any of certain tropical or subtropical trees of the genus Sapindus, especially S. saponaria, used as a substitute for soap.
2. the tree itself.

soapberry

/ ˈsəʊpˌbɛrɪ /

noun

1. any of various chiefly tropical American sapindaceous trees of the genus Sapindus, esp S. saponaria (or S. marginatus ), having pulpy fruit containing saponin
2. a related plant, S. drummondii, of the southwestern US
3. the fruit of any of these trees

Word History and Origins

Origin of soapberry¹

First recorded in 1685–95; soap + berry

Example Sentences

That’s pretty spectacular and scientists are becoming aware that this kind of rapid evolution is occurring in other species, like Chinook salmon or soapberry bugs.

From National Geographic

Such “rapid evolution” has also been observed in organisms ranging from zooplankton to soapberry bugs to finches.

From Scientific American

In place of this, they use the seed or roots of the soapberry tree.

From Project Gutenberg