1.
[syn: Barbados gooseberry, Barbados-gooseberry vine, Pereskia aculeata]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Gooseberry \Goose"ber*ry\, n.; pl. Gooseberries, [Corrupted
for groseberry or groiseberry, fr. OF. groisele, F.
groseille, -- of German origin; cf. G. krausbeere,
kr[aum]uselbeere (fr. kraus crisp), D. kruisbes, kruisbezie
(as if crossberry, fr. kruis cross; for kroesbes, kroesbezie,
fr. kroes crisp), Sw. krusb[aum]r (fr. krus, krusing, crisp).
The first part of the word is perh. akin to E. curl. Cf.
Grossular, a.]
1. (Bot.) Any thorny shrub of the genus Ribes; also, the
edible berries of such shrub. There are several species,
of which Ribes Grossularia is the one commonly
cultivated.
[1913 Webster]
2. A silly person; a goose cap. --Goldsmith.
[1913 Webster]
Barbadoes gooseberry, a climbing prickly shrub (Pereskia
aculeata) of the West Indies, which bears edible berries
resembling gooseberries.
Coromandel gooseberry. See Carambola.
Gooseberry fool. See 1st Fool.
Gooseberry worm (Zool.), the larva of a small moth
(Dakruma convolutella). It destroys the gooseberry by
eating the interior.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Pereskia aculeata
n 1: West Indian woody climber with spiny stems and numerous
fragrant white flowers in panicles followed by small yellow
to orange fruits [syn: Barbados gooseberry, Barbados-
gooseberry vine, Pereskia aculeata]