English▸ noun
(plural hackberries)
a tree of the elm family which has leaves that resemble those of nettles, found in both tropical and temperate regions. See also nettle tree Genus Celtis, family Ulmaceae: several species, in particular the North American hackberry (C. occidentalis), which bears purple edible berries.
▪ the berry of the hackberry tree.
– ORIGIN mid 18th century: variant of northern English dialect hagberry, of Scandinavian origin.