bracken

American  

[brak-uhn] / ˈbræk ən /

noun

1. a large fern or brake, especially Pteridium aquilinum.

2. a cluster or thicket of such ferns; an area overgrown with ferns and shrubs.

---

bracken British  

/ ˈbrækən /

noun

1. Also called: brake.  any of various large coarse ferns, esp Pteridium aquilinum , having large fronds with spore cases along the undersides and extensive underground stems

2. a clump of any of these ferns

---

Other Word Forms

• brackened adjective

Etymology

Origin of bracken

1275–1325; Middle English braken < Scandinavian; compare Swedish bräken fern, Norwegian brake juniper

Example Sentences

There was a big patch of bracken; he thrust the griffin into it, and the creature curled into a ball, quivering.

From Literature

Only decades ago many of the cottages in Scotland’s Highlands were roofed in heather, bracken and marram grass.

From The Wall Street Journal

"The landscape has changed dramatically because the cows have been here for about three seasons and you notice there's very little bracken and there are bluebells coming up."

From BBC

It has since fallen or been cut down and now lies among the bracken.

From BBC

Gorse, heather, bracken and trees were removed to reveal the white boulders.

From BBC

Related Words

• scrub
• thicket