English word origin

Etymology of Berry

Variant of Bury and (in dialects with Mary-marry-merry merger) Barry. The given name is also a pet form of names beginning with Ber-.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

A surname from Middle English. · A male given name transferred from the surname. · A town in Fayette County, Alabama, United States, named after Thompson Berry. · A minor city in Harrison County, Kentucky, United States.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Variant of Bury and (in dialects with Mary-marry-merry merger) Barry. The given name is also a pet form of names beginning with Ber-.

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Bury",
      "Bury"
    ],
    [
      "Barry",
      "Barry"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname from Middle English.",
        "A male given name transferred from the surname.",
        "A town in Fayette County, Alabama, United States, named after Thompson Berry.",
        "A minor city in Harrison County, Kentucky, United States."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "5d42f80cdc4b24602c5327d0d2f1712637c5ca662b8812cccf96d356b3c9b7bd",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e1aa26aab7129557f36816646942b438113219adeb760a0ace9bc46a3c79da30",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3852691
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "links": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 3,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A female given name from English.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From berry; also a pet form of Beryl, Berenice, or Berinthia.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "berry",
      "berry#English"
    ],
    [
      "Beryl",
      "Beryl#English"
    ],
    [
      "Berenice",
      "Berenice#English"
    ],
    [
      "Berinthia",
      "Berinthia#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A female given name from English."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "1a19a67a66aff1e443f23462e08d174f09caeab3f4234dc1e0a125ffa2ad28e4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e439d7d826b4c759729cc2579837ce62599c11b134a46495bd99d8f14c86509e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3852692
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

name

A former province in Centre-Val de Loire region, France.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From French Berry.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionBerryfr

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "Berry"
      },
      "expansion": "French Berry"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Berry",
      "Berry#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A former province in Centre-Val de Loire region, France."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "ab2c1c034a39837f6407f01f2c593bb254eca231a5cb29c3f1e42f45aa93a82e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "40a823603fdebb1195ec14db17fe46d26d4e6e3bc55095f4b0d3ba94b24aa49b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 3852693
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Berry →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-QmVycnk