noun
fern
furn
noun
1
A leafy green plant with no flowers or seeds that reproduces by releasing tiny spores, often found in shady, damp places.
"Ferns grew thick along the shaded riverbank."
"She kept a potted fern on the windowsill."
How to Use Fern
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA green, leafy plant with feathery fronds that grows from spores rather than seeds or flowers.
Common pairings
a fern frond
potted fern
ferns and mosses
Word Forms
ferns plural, Ferns plural
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_____ grew thick along the shaded riverbank.
Etymology
From Old English fearn, tracing back to a very old Indo-European word for "feather" or "leaf" — a nod to the plant's feathery fronds.