Definition

Noun: 1. A large, dark red to nearly black, soft fruit: A boysenberry is a compound berry that is a cross between a raspberry, a blackberry, and a loganberry. It is known for its large size, deep wine-red color, and a rich, tangy-sweet flavor that resembles raspberries. 2. The plant that produces this fruit: A boysenberry is also the name for the cultivated, thorny bramble (a type of cane plant) that bears this fruit.

Examples

• As a fruit:
  • She made a delicious pie with fresh boysenberries.
  • The boysenberry has a more complex flavor than a standard blackberry.
• As a plant:
  • We planted a boysenberry in the garden last spring.
  • The boysenberry vines need to be supported on a trellis.

Advanced Usage

• The word is often used attributively (like an adjective) to describe foods and flavors made from the fruit.
  • boysenberry jam
  • boysenberry syrup
  • a boysenberry smoothie

Variants and Related Words

• Boysenberry is a proper noun that became a common noun. It is named after its cultivator, Rudolph Boysen.
• Bramble: A general term for any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, especially of the genus (which includes blackberries, raspberries, and boysenberries).
• Cane fruit: A category of fruit that grows on woody stems (canes), including boysenberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

Synonyms

• Berry (general category)
• Caneberry (technical category)

Note: There are no direct single-word synonyms for "boysenberry" as it refers to a specific, named hybrid fruit and plant.

Noun

1. large raspberry-flavored fruit; cross between blackberries and raspberries
2. cultivated hybrid bramble of California having large dark wine-red fruit with a flavor resembling raspberries