What does bourtree mean?
Bourtree is a regional British name for the elder tree, Sambucus nigra — the familiar European shrub whose creamy flower clusters and dark purple berries have long been used for cordials, wine, jam, and folk remedies. The word belongs mainly to Scottish and Northern English speech, where it survived for centuries as the ordinary country name for the tree, appearing in dialect poetry, folklore, and rural writing even after 'elder' became the standard term elsewhere. Its connotations are rustic and nostalgic: to encounter 'bourtree' today is usually in a poem, a novel of rural life, or an old gardening book, evoking hedgerows, cottage gardens, and midsummer blossom-gathering. Though rare in modern usage, the word remains useful for writers seeking local colour or historical texture, and it reminds us how deeply embedded the elder is in British rural tradition — a plant at once commonplace and richly storied, known by different names across regions and generations.
nounThe elder tree (Sambucus nigra), a common European shrub or small tree bearing clusters of small black berries used in wines, jams, and traditional remedies. The word is a regional British term, now largely literary or dialectal.
- The elder tree or shrub (Sambucus nigra), especially as found in Scottish and Northern English hedgerows and gardens.
"In the corner of the cottage garden stood an old bourtree, heavy with berries."
"She gathered bourtree blossoms in June to make a fragrant summer cordial."
"A tangle of nettles and bourtree marked the boundary of the old field."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple elder trees.
"Bourtrees grew thick along the burn behind the village."
Before it was called the elder, generations of Scots knew the humble hedgerow elder simply as the bourtree.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bourtree
Bourtree derives from Middle English, combining a first element of uncertain exact form with 'tree'. It developed as the customary name for the elder in Scotland and northern England, alongside the standard term 'elder', which comes from Old English 'ellen' or 'eller'. The two words thus travelled separate paths: 'elder' from the Old English root that also gave the adjective 'eldern', while 'bourtree' arose as a compound vernacular name preserved in regional speech.
How bourtree is actually used
Bourtree is chiefly Scottish and Northern English, with a rustic, traditional flavour. It appears mostly in dialect literature, folklore, and older horticultural writing rather than in everyday modern speech, where 'elder' has become the standard term throughout the English-speaking world.
Easily confused with bourtree
Butternut is either a type of squash or a North American walnut tree, whereas bourtree refers to the European elder.