cranberry bush
- noun
- /ˈkrænˌbɛri bʌʃ/
- US
- The cranberry bush in our garden produced bright red berries in the fall.
Examples
-
She planted a cranberry bush near the fence for its vibrant foliage and berries.
-
The cranberry bush bloomed beautifully this spring.
-
Many birds are attracted to the fruit of the cranberry bush during winter.
-
I planted a cranberry bush in my garden.
-
Many birds are attracted to the fruit of the cranberry bush during winter.
-
She planted a cranberry bush near the fence for its vibrant foliage and berries.
-
The cranberry bush in our garden produced bright red berries in the fall.
Synonyms
A North American shrub with three-lobed leaves and bright red berries
A North American bush or small tree with leaves in three parts and bright red berries people eat
A North American shrub or small tree with three-lobed leaves and clusters of red berries
A small tree or bush with white flowers and bright red berries
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a shrub producing cranberries' is directly derivable from combining 'cranberry' (a woody bog shrub or berry) with 'bush' (a small woody plant). This noun+noun compound follows a straightforward compositional pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Cranberry bush may come from the name early settlers used: they called the fruit a cranberry because the flower and stem looked a bit like a crane's bill, and bush simply describes the low shrub it grows on. So, cranberry bush means 'a small shrub that grows red cranberries'.