awn
[ awn ]
/ ɔn /
noun Botany.
a bristlelike appendage of a plant, especially on the glumes of grasses.
such appendages collectively, as those forming the beard of wheat, barley, etc.
any similar bristle.
QUIZZES
LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!
Are you learning Spanish? Or do you just have an interest in foreign languages? Either way, this quiz on Spanish words for animals is for you.
Question 1 of 13
How do you say “cat” 🐈 in Spanish?
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
OTHER WORDS FROM awn
awned, adjectiveawnless, adjectiveun·awned, adjectiveWords nearby awn
awless, awl-shaped, awl snail, awlwort, awmous, awn, awner, awning, awning deck, awning window, awnless bromegrass
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for awn
British Dictionary definitions for awn
awn
/ (ɔːn) /
noun
any of the bristles growing from the spikelets of certain grasses, including cereals
Derived forms of awn
awned, adjectiveawnless, adjectiveWord Origin for awn
Old English agen ear of grain; related to Old Norse ögn chaff, Gothic ahana, Old High German agana, Greek akōn javelin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for awn
awn
[ ôn ]
A slender, bristlelike appendage found on the spikelets of many grasses.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.