bayberry

noun

bay·​ber·​ry ˈbā-ˌber-ē 

-ˌbe-rē

1

: any of several wax myrtles

especially : a hardy shrub (Myrica pensylvanica) of coastal eastern North America bearing dense clusters of small berries covered with grayish-white wax

2

: the fruit of a bayberry

Examples of bayberry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Insects, crustaceans, bayberries and beach plums await the roughly one million birds that rest here before continuing south. —Adam Erace, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2023

For Thanksgiving, interior stylist and photographer Alyssa Rosenheck surrounds candles with lush greenery, including fern leaves, seeded eucalyptus, Asian bayberry, jade palm, and Silver Dollar eucalyptus. —Helena Madden, ELLE Decor, 17 Nov. 2022

Then, a design by Dirtworks, built by the Todd Group, covered much of that structure with enormous mounds of sand planted with beach grasses and plants like serviceberry, bayberry and beach rose. —Tim McKeough, New York Times, 30 June 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

bayberry

noun

bay·​ber·​ry ˈbā-ˌber-ē 

1

: any of several wax myrtles

especially : a hardy shrub of coastal eastern North America that produces clusters of small berries covered with grayish white wax

2

: the fruit of a bayberry

Medical Definition

bayberry

noun

bay·​ber·​ry

ˈbā-ˌber-ē, British often & US sometimes -b(ə-)rē

plural bayberries

1

: a West Indian tree of the genus Pimenta (P. racemosa) of the myrtle family yielding a yellow aromatic oil

2

a

: any of several wax myrtles

especially : a hardy shrub (Myrica pensylvanica) of coastal eastern North America bearing dense clusters of small globular nuts covered with grayish white wax

b

: the fruit of a bayberry