thimbleberry

American  

[thim-buhl-ber-ee] / ˈθɪm bəlˌbɛr i /

noun

plural

thimbleberries

1. any of several American raspberries bearing a thimble-shaped fruit, especially the black raspberry, Rubus occidentalis.

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Etymology

Origin of thimbleberry

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90; thimble + berry

Example Sentences

Succulent, peachy salmonberries and velvety thimbleberry bush fronds flank the entrance to the trail, blanketed in soft shade from the outstretched limbs of towering Western red cedar, Douglas fir and hemlock.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 30, 2023

June burst into bloom—daisies, larkspur, meadowsweet and thyme, foxglove and thimbleberry, purple thistle flowers, and yellow whorls of blooming fennel.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

The youngest Miss Piper leaped upon the rail of a fence, and with the stalk of a thimbleberry in her mouth swung her small feet to and fro and surveyed him dispassionately.

From Under the Redwoods by Harte, Bret

Green parrots went scolding and laughing down the thimbleberry hedges that bordered the cornfields, as much at home out of doors as within.

From A New England girlhood, outlined from memory (Beverly, MA) by Larcom, Lucy