black elderberry
- noun
- /blæk ˈɛldərˌbɛri/
- US
:
saúco negro
- Many people make syrup from black elderberry to boost their immune systems during winter.
Examples
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Birds flocked to the garden every autumn to feed on the ripe black elderberry clusters.
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The black elderberry shrub provides beautiful flowers in the spring.
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The wine had a deep red color, thanks to the addition of black elderberry juice.
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I made a delicious jam from black elderberries last summer.
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The black elderberry produces clusters of purple-black berries that are commonly used to make jams and jellies.
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In the fall, the black elderberry shrubs are covered in ripe berries, attracting many birds to the garden.
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She harvested the black elderberry to create a delicious homemade wine that friends enjoyed at the gathering.
Synonyms
A North American bush that makes dark purple berries used to make wine and jam
A shrub with clusters of dark purple berries used to make wine and jam
A North American bush that people use to make jam and wine from its purple-black berries
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an elderberry that is black/dark in colour' is directly and compositionally derived from combining 'black' (colour) with 'elderberry' (the fruit/shrub). This colour + plant noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and the phrase refers to a readily inferable variety/species, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it.
Etymology
Black elderberry comes from a simple picture: the word elder names a shrub that makes tight clusters of dark, almost black berries. People long ago used the soft elder wood for small tools and the dark berries to make 'wine' and 'syrup', so the name stuck for the shrub we now use for food and 'medicine'.
