Main Entry:

ju·ni·per

Pronunciation:

\ˈjü-nə-pər\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English junipere, from Latin juniperus

Date:

14th century

1 a: any of numerous shrubs or trees (genus Juniperus) of the cypress family with leaves resembling needles or scales and female cones usually resembling berries b: the berrylike cone or fruit of a juniper ; especially : the bluish one of a common juniper (J. communis) which is used to flavor foods and from which is obtained an acrid essential oil used especially as a flavoring in gin and liqueurs —called also juniper berry2: any of several coniferous trees resembling true junipers