Bayberry
/ˈbeɪˌber.i/noun
A shrub or small tree of the genus Morella, especially one whose berries were traditionally used to make fragrant candle wax.
Did you know?Colonial American settlers rendered bayberry fruit wax into candles, and folklore associated their burning with prosperity—especially when a candle burned completely without needing to be snuffed.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bak-
“A word-family associated with berries or fruit, reflected in later Latin botanical vocabulary; the deeper reconstruction is debated.”
Classical Latin
Latin
bāca
“A berry or small fruit; also used of the fruit of the laurel.”
Old French
Old French
baie
“A berry or fruit, continuing the Latin word.”
Old English
Old English
beriġe
“Berry or small edible fruit, the source of the second element.”
14th–15th Century
English
bay
“The laurel tree or its leaf, borrowed through French from Latin; this supplied the first element by resemblance to bay leaves.”
18th Century
English
bayberry
“A compound name for a berry-bearing shrub associated with bay-like leaves; its fruit was valued for producing aromatic wax.”
Modern English
English
bayberry
“A North American wax-myrtle shrub, especially Morella pensylvanica, or its aromatic fruit.”
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