Fraughan

/ˈfrɔːən/ noun

Definition

An Irish word for the fruit of the cloudberry or similar wild berry; also a plant used in traditional Irish medicine.

Etymology

From Irish Gaelic 'fraochán', diminutive of 'fraoch' (heather), which may be related to plants growing on heathland. The word represents Irish botanical knowledge passed into English.

Kelly Says

The Irish 'fraughan' reveals how language encodes deep ecological knowledge—speakers of Irish could distinguish dozens of wild berries, each with a specific name, a vocabulary that English simplified into just 'berry.'

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