CRANBERRY, n. [crane and berry.] A species of Vaccinium; a berry that grows on a slender, bending stalk. Its botanical name is oxycoccus, [sour berry,] and it is also called moss-berry, or moor-berry, as it grows only on peat-bogs or swampy land. The berry when ripe is red, and of the size of a small cherry or of the hawthorn berry. These berries form a sauce of exquisite flavor, and are used for tarts. The cranberry of the United States is a distinct species, the V. Macrocarpon. [The common pronunciation, cramberry, is erroneous.]
