skokeberry

See also: skoke berry

English

Alternative forms

• skoke berry

Etymology

Perhaps a half-translation of an Algonquian term for "red berry" (compare Abenaki mkw-, mskw- (“red”)), in reference to the berries' red colour. Alternatively, perhaps a half-translation of an Algonquian term such as Penobscot *skokimin (“snake berry”), in reference to the fact that the plant is poisonous. Compare scoke.

Noun

skokeberry (plural skokeberries)

1. (US) A pokeberry; a pokeweed (the plant Phytolacca americana or its dark red or purple fruit).

Synonyms

• see the list at pokeweed