Definition

A type of rose plant with thorny stems, sweet-smelling leaves, pink flowers, and red fruit.

Example

The sweetbrier in the garden attracted many bees with its fragrant flowers.

Conversation

Have you seen the sweetbrier blooming in the garden lately?

Yes, it's beautiful! I love the pink flowers.

I read that it's also known as eglantine, which is interesting.

Definitely! The smell of the leaves is just amazing too.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Sweetbrier is formed from "sweet" (from Old English *swete*, meaning pleasing to the taste or smell) and "brier" (from Old French *bruyère*, meaning a thorny plant). The word refers to a thorny plant that has a sweet fragrance or sweet-smelling flowers.

Memory Tip

Think of a plant that is both 'pleasing to the taste' ('sweet') and 'thorny' ('brier') — that's why sweetbrier refers to a fragrant thorny plant.

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