hackberry

UK: /ˈhækˌbɛrɪ/ US: (hak′ber′ē, -bə rē)

Inflections of 'hackberry' (n): npl: hackberries

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

hack•ber•ry  (hak′ber′ē, -bə rē), n., pl. -ries. 

1. Plant Biology any of several trees or shrubs belonging to the genus Celtis, of the elm family, bearing cherrylike fruit.
2. Plant Biology the sometimes edible fruit of such a tree.
3. Plant Biology the wood of such a tree.

• variant of hagberry 1775–85, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

hackberry / ˈhækˌbɛrɪ/ noun ( -ries)

1. any American tree or shrub of the ulmaceous genus Celtis, having edible cherry-like fruits
2. the fruit or soft yellowish wood of such a tree

Etymology: 18th Century: variant of C16 hagberry, of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse heggr hackberry