hackberry
(ˈhækbɛrɪ)
[A phonetic variant of hagberry, q.v.]
1. A northern name for the Bird-cherry, more commmonly hagberry, q.v.
2. In North America, the fruit of the tree Celtis occidentalis, which resembles the bird-cherry in size; also the tree itself, of which there are several varieties, or sub-species.
| 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. I. 636 Of the natural growth..we may reckon the..papaw, the hackberry, and the cucumber trees. 1807 Pike Sources Mississ. i. App. (1810) 41 Timber, on both sides, generally hackberry, cottonwood, and ash. 1864 Chambers' Encycl. VI. 727 Another American species, Celtis crassifolia, often called Hackberry or Hagberry, and Hoop Ash. 1880 Encycl. Brit. XI. 360/1 The hackberry tree is of middle size, attaining from 60 to 80 feet in height, and with the aspect of an elm. |