gooseberry

[ goos-ber-ee, -buh-ree, gooz- ]
/ ˈgusˌbɛr i, -bə ri, ˈguz- /

noun, plural goose·ber·ries.

the edible, acid, globular, sometimes spiny fruit of certain prickly shrubs belonging to the genus Ribes, of the saxifrage family, especially R. uva-crispa (or R. grossularia).
a shrub bearing this fruit.

Origin of gooseberry

First recorded in 1525–35; goose + berry

Example sentences from the Web for gooseberry

British Dictionary definitions for gooseberry

gooseberry
/ (ˈɡʊzbərɪ, -brɪ) /

noun plural -ries

a Eurasian shrub, Ribes uva-crispa (or R. grossularia), having greenish, purple-tinged flowers and ovoid yellow-green or red-purple berries: family Grossulariaceae See also currant (def. 2)
  1. the berry of this plant
  2. (as modifier)gooseberry jam
British informal an unwanted single person in a group of couples, esp a third person with a couple (often in the phrase play gooseberry)
Cape gooseberry a tropical American solanaceous plant, Physalis peruviana, naturalized in southern Africa, having yellow flowers and edible yellow berries See also ground cherry