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.
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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. 2020
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
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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.