male fern


noun
  1. a bright-green fern, Dryopteris filix-mas, of Europe and northeastern North America.

Origin of male fern

1
First recorded in 1555–65

Words Nearby male fern

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How to use male fern in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for male fern

male fern

noun
  1. a fern, Dryopteris filix-mas, having scaly stalks and pinnate fronds with kidney-shaped spore-producing bodies on the underside: family Polypodiaceae

Origin of male fern

1
C16: so called because it was formerly believed to be the male of the lady fern

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