2869: Blueberries aren’t Blue* Oct 29, 2024

Blueberries are of course named for the color despite the strong reddish undertone—from the same natural chemicals that give red onions and red cabbage their purple color. Of course, there are also ‘blackberries’ and potentially ‘raspberries’ (see more on what color that is) also with color-based names, but naming precision aside, not everyone around the world agrees on blueberries. 

The Modern Hebrew word for them is אוכמנית (uchmanit) from an Aramaic word אוכמא (ukama) meaning ‘black’. Likewise, the Finnish ‘mustikka’ comes from ‘musta’ (black) , Russian черника (chernika) from чёрный (chornyj) also for ‘black’. Georgian’s word, მოცვი (mocvi) does sort of mean “blue+berry” but it has 3 different word for blue, and this is the lightest, more like a cyan or turquois.