bryony

noun

bry·​o·​ny ˈbrī-ə-nē 

plural bryonies

: any of a genus (Bryonia) of tendril-bearing vines of the gourd family with large leaves and red or black fruit

Examples of bryony in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In another, a bryony, with its red berries, had wound itself tightly around the fresh shoots of a grapevine, which, after searching in vain for a more solid support, had wrapped its own tendrils around the bryony in turn. —Joan Acocella, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2022

But the speed, the swiftness, walking into clarity, Like last year’s bryony are gone. —Anthony Lan, The New Yorker, 5 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

Middle English brionie, bryane, borrowed from Anglo-French brione, brionie, briennie, briagne, borrowed from Latin bryōnia, borrowed from Greek bryōnía, probably from bry-, stem of brýein "to swell with an abundance of growth, bloom, abound" + -ōnia, suffix of plant names — more at bryo-

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

bryony

noun

bry·​o·​ny ˈbrī-ə-nē 

plural bryonies

: any plant of the genus Bryonia