n.; pl. Cranberries (-r&ibreve_;z). [ So named from its fruit being ripe in the spring when the cranes return. Dr. Prior. ] (Bot.) A red, acid berry, much used for making sauce, etc.; also, the plant producing it (several species of Vaccinum or Oxycoccus.) The high cranberry or cranberry tree is a species of Viburnum (Viburnum Opulus), and the other is sometimes called low cranberry or marsh cranberry to distinguish it. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a deciduous thicket-forming Old World shrub (Viburnum opulus) with clusters of white flowers and small bright red berries. It is sometimes called high cranberry to distinguish it from the marsh cranberry or low cranberry.
Syn. -- guelder rose, European cranberrybush, European cranberry bush, crampbark, Viburnum opulus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]