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Glite Dictionary
moor berry

moor berry

9.9
A low evergreen bush with thick leaves and small dark edible berries
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : mora de pantano
  • She picked baskets of moor berries to make jam for the winter.

Examples

  • The moor berry thrives in the acidic soils of northern heaths and moors.

  • Hikers often spot the low-growing moor berry bush among the heather.

  • The moor berry is often found in damp, acidic soils.

  • Many people enjoy picking moor berries during the summer.

  • The moor berry plant produces small, black berries that are sweet and edible.

  • During their hike, they discovered a patch of moor berries along the trail.

  • The moor berry is a common sight in the moorlands, known for its leathery green leaves.

Surface Forms

moor berry singular
moor berries plural

Morphology

moor + berry

The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'moor' names the habitat and 'berry' names a small fruit, so a learner who knows both words can infer 'a berry that grows on moors'. This noun+noun compounding is a productive, cross-linguistic pattern in English, making the expression immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Moor berry comes from the simple idea of a berry that grows on the moor. Imagine small, dark berries low among the heather on an open moor, and that's why the word means 'an evergreen shrub with small, dark edible berries that grows on moorlands'.