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raspberry

Etymology and origin of the English word raspberry

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɹɑːzb(ə)ɹi/, /ˈɹæzbɹi/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from earlier raspis “raspberry” (about 1532) and berry.[2][3][4][5] Raspis is of uncertain origin;[4][2][5] it may be connected with Middle English raspise, a sweet rose-coloured wine (before 1475), from Medieval Latin raspecia.[2][4] Weekley suggests instead a possible link with Old Walloon raspoie “thicket”.[4] The sense “derisive noise” is short for raspberry tart, rhyming slang for fart.[3][6][5][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The fruit of the raspberry plant (1623 in the OED and Barnhart; about 1616 in Merriam-Webster).[7][2][6]

Semantic evolution

The name of the fruit was extended to the plant itself (1733) and to raspberry wine (1768).[7] In 1890 it appears as a derisive noise made with the tongue and lips, an elliptical use of the rhyming slang raspberry tart;[7] by 1920 it was used figuratively for any refusal, reprimand or expression of disapproval.[7] As a colour name it dates from 1923.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1532 – raspis, raspberry.[2]
  • 1623 – the fruit.[7][2]
  • 1733 – the plant.[7]
  • 1890 – a derisive sound.[7]
  • 1920 – a refusal or reprimand.[7]
  • 1923 – a pinkish-red colour.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The aggregate fruit of certain plants of the genus Rubus, made up of many small, juicy, usually red drupelets.
  2. Any of the prickly shrubs of the rose family that bear this fruit.
  3. A dark purplish-red colour.
  4. (informal) A rude noise of contempt made by blowing through the lips with the tongue stuck out; a Bronx cheer.

Word family

  • black raspberry
  • blackberry
  • berry
  • rasp

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Raspberry.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/raspberry. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·