Etymology Dictionary

RASP-BERRY,  a kind of fruit.  (F.,—O.H.G.; and E.)   The word berry is E.; see Berry.   The old name was raspis-berry or raspise-berry; see Richardson.   'Raspo, a fruit or berie called raspise;' Florio.   'The raspis is called in Latin Rubus Idæus;' Holland, tr. of Pliny, b. xxiv. c. 14; the chapter is headed:  'Of Cynosbatos, and the raspice.'   'Ampres, raspises;' Cot.   β. Raspice, raspise are corruptions of raspis (= raspès), which is nothing more than the old plural form, so that raspis = rasps, the word being at first used without berry, as shewn by the examples.   Indeed, the prov. E. name is rasps, to this day; and raspes is used by Bacon, Essay 46.   The word kex, q.v., is in a similar predicament.   γ. The Ital. raspo also means a rasp; and the name was given to the fruit from some supposed similarity to a rasp, prob. from the look of it, which is remarkably rough.   See Rasp.   ¶ The goose-berry is named for a like reason; see Gooseberry.