mulberry

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmʌlbəɹi/, /ˈmʌlbɹi/ (UK); /ˈmʌlˌbɛɹi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English mulberie, a dissimilated form of murberie,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} partly inherited from Old English mōrberie and partly borrowed from Middle High German mūlberi, an alteration of Old High German mūrberi (German Maulbeere).^[2][3][4] The English and German words were formed from Latin mōrum (“mulberry, blackberry”) and the native words for berry.^[2][3][4][6] The Latin word is from Ancient Greek μόρον (móron, “mulberry, blackberry”),^[4][6][7] probably from Proto-Indo-European *moro- (“blackberry, mulberry”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The mulberry tree (1382 in the OED; c. 1300 in Etymonline) and its fruit (1398 in the OED; mid-14th century in Etymonline); murberie before 1300 in Barnhart.^[8][4][3]

Semantic evolution

The l replaced the earlier r by dissimilation, as in German.^[9][10][6] The name was later applied to plants of other genera,^[8] and in English dialects often to the blackberry (1672).^[8] The leaves of the white mulberry are used to feed silkworms.^[11][5] As a colour name, a dark purple, it dates from 1837.^[8] In the Second World War Mulberry was the code name of the prefabricated harbours used in the Normandy invasion.^[8]

Timeline

• before 1300 – murberie.^[3]
• 1382 – the tree.^[8]
• 1398 – the fruit.^[8]
• 1672 – applied to the blackberry in dialects.^[8]
• 1837 – a dark purple colour.^[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Any of several deciduous trees of the genus Morus, with edible purple, red or white fruit, the leaves of the white mulberry being used to feed silkworms.
2. The sweet fruit of any of these trees, resembling a blackberry.
3. Any of several similar or related trees, such as the paper mulberry.
4. A dark purple colour.

Word family

• Indian mulberry
• paper mulberry
• red mulberry
• white mulberry

Related words

• morula
• murrey
• berry
• sycamore
• blackberry

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
7. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
11. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins