heather

¹

[ heth-er ]

noun

1. any of various heaths, especially Calluna vulgaris, of England and Scotland, having small, pinkish-purple flowers.

adjective

1. (of a yarn or fabric color) subtly flecked or mottled:

   all-cotton turtlenecks in your choice of five solid colors plus heather gray and heather green.

Heather

²

[ heth-er ]

noun

1. a female given name.

heather

/ ˈhɛðə /

noun

1. Also calledlingheath a low-growing evergreen Eurasian ericaceous shrub, Calluna vulgaris, that grows in dense masses on open ground and has clusters of small bell-shaped typically pinkish-purple flowers
2. any of certain similar plants
3. a purplish-red to pinkish-purple colour

adjective

1. of a heather colour
2. of or relating to interwoven yarns of mixed colours

   heather mixture

Derived Forms

• ˈheathered, adjective
• ˈheathery, adjective

Other Words From

• heathered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of heather¹

1300–50; spelling variant of hether, earlier hedder, hadder, hather, Middle English hathir; akin to heath

Word History and Origins

Origin of heather¹

C14: originally Scottish and Northern English, probably from heath

Example Sentences

Cal Poly Pomona student Heather DeCosta described it as “kind of just boxing us in at all four sides of the street.”

From The Daily Beast

No one cut the interview short and, as Heather helpfully pointed out, “You are free to leave.”

From The Daily Beast

Before Lehman, she told me in 2010, was a nine-year relationship with a guy with one leg: “My Heather Mills,” Rivers called him.

From The Daily Beast

Check out this fine sampling from the likes of Karen Shirely, Margalit Fox, and the most-talented, Heather Lende.

From The Daily Beast

In 2007, Heather Mills—an amputee and alpine skier (and yes, the former wife of Paul McCartney)—danced on the show.

From The Daily Beast

A little head suddenly appeared above the wet heather-bells, then as quickly disappeared, and all was again quiet.

From Project Gutenberg

This time he got to the tree, and placed his foot on a part of the root, while with his hands he clung on to a clump of heather.

From Project Gutenberg

With the dear Dominie's note promising to be an usher came an antique silver casket filled with white heather.

From Project Gutenberg

There is heather and wild thyme up the Trwyn, very comfortable to doze on; suppose we have our nap up there?

From Project Gutenberg

She came lightly along towards the house under the livid sky with the heather on each side of her.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• drab
• dusty
• grey
• silvery