awn

American  

[awn] / ɔn /

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.

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awn British  

/ ɔːn /

noun

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

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awn Scientific  

/ ôn /

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

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Other Word Forms

• awned adjective
• awnless adjective
• unawned adjective

Etymology

Origin of awn

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

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.

From 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.

From Scientific American

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

From New York Times

The process starts on the millimeter-long awns, which natural selection has winnowed and perfected to be the ideal surface for water collecting.

From 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.

From The Verge