this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 79 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

This feels like a case where botanical science should just have picked a different name. If you invalidate everything people think of as a berry and then tell them a dozen things that are clearly not berries are, in fact, berries, you're just making the word berry meaningless.

Berry means a tiny, usually sweet, fruit-like growth from a plant. The kind that is usually picked in bunches. The kind that you use to make smoothies. That's a berry.

Botany did us all a disservice by choosing the word "berry" to mean "a specific thing which invalidates everything you think is a berry." Just call that plant structure something in Latin, ffs.

[–] JayObey711@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Well, cooking terms and botany terms are not the same. Any non reproductive part of a plant is vegetable. But in cooking we have a completely different idea of what vegetables are.

This really doesn't matter because most people are not botanists and those who are probably know the terms. The only people that care are quirky internet people with debates about weather or not potato salad should be considered a cake or something.

[–] Allero@lemmy.today 3 points 1 month ago

"Weather" is a nice ultimate touch

[–] BossDj@lemm.ee 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They did. It's Baca. Which means berry. Or maybe cow. Naming stuff is hard

[–] ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Naming would be easier if we collectively review the names every few years and retire the BS.

[–] CeruleanRuin@lemmings.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Knowledge is knowing the common definition of fruit doesn't include tomato.