Also called: ling. heath. 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
any of certain similar plants
a purplish-red to pinkish-purple colour
of a heather colour
of or relating to interwoven yarns of mixed colours
heather mixture
1300–50; spelling variant of hether, earlier hedder, hadder, hather, Middle English hathir; akin to heath
Heather is a hearty flowering plant that's common in many parts of the world but most famous for growing in the Scottish Highlands. Heather grows in low, dense mats, often in soil that's wet, acidic, or otherwise inhospitable. In Scotland, millions of acres are carpeted in colorful heather, and the country is closely associated with the plant. The Old English root of heather is hæddre, and the word was mainly used in Scots until the 16th century. As a girl's name, Heather was extremely rare until the 1930s, and its popularity exploded in the 1970s and 80s.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"A licensing enforcement officer arrived and hand delivered a notice to say I needed a street trading license," Heather said.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
“Honestly, it looks like the hiring recession is over,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said on a social-media post.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
“There will be winners and losers for sure,” said Heather Schneider, director of conservation at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, whose work includes studying and protecting rare plants on the island.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Charlotte Edwards says there was never any doubt around Heather Knight's place in England's World Cup side as the former captain returned to form in a series-clinching win in the third T20 against India.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
"My father is taking me to tea after school. He told me to bring Hollywood Heather!"
From "Sleepover Sleuths: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #1" by Carolyn Keene
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
