awn

[awn]

noun

Botany.

1. a bristlelike appendage of a plant, especially on the glumes of grasses.

2. such appendages collectively, as those forming the beard of wheat, barley, etc.

3. any similar bristle.

awn

/ ɔːn /

noun

1. any of the bristles growing from the spikelets of certain grasses, including cereals

awn

1. A slender, bristlelike appendage found on the spikelets of many grasses.

Other Word Forms

• awned adjective
• awnless adjective
• unawned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of awn¹

1250–1300; Middle English aw ( u ) n, agune, agene, probably < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse ǫgn, Old Danish aghn husk; replacing and cognate with Old English ægnan; cognate with Gothic ahana, Old High German agana ( German Agen, Ahne ), Dutch, Frisian agen; OL agna ear of grain, Czech osina awn; Greek ákaina thorn, bristle, ákhnē chaff (< a pre-Hellenic substratum language); < Indo-European *Haeḱ- sharp

Word History and Origins

Origin of awn¹

Old English agen ear of grain; related to Old Norse ögn chaff, Gothic ahana, Old High German agana, Greek akōn javelin

Example Sentences

The seeds, or awns, contain sharp barbs that can cause wounds and infections if inhaled or if they get caught in paws and fur.

Read more on Washington Post

Aesthetics is yet another value that indigenous farmers cherish, cultivating certain landraces simply for their beautiful colors or patterns: gold, brown, purple and black furrows on yellow hulls, purple apexes, black awns, and so on.

Read more on Scientific American

“What am I awn?” she asks when her children are comparing their various drug treatments.

Read more on New York Times

The awns are just as good at snagging droplets out of passing waves of fog and collecting raindrops that splash down from above.

Read more on Washington Post

These awns at the tip of each leaf can collect air from a variety of sources, from fog to heavy rain, using several specialized tools.

Read more on The Verge