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• fern
  fern

  noun

  any seedless, nonflowering vascular plant of the class Filicinae, of tropical to temperate regions, characterized by true roots produced from a rhizome, triangular fronds that uncoil upward and have a branching vein system, and reproduction by spores contained in sporangia that appear as brown dots on the underside of the fronds.
• Fern
  Fern

  noun

  a female given name.

fern

¹ American  

[furn] / fɜrn /

noun

ferns plural

1. any seedless, nonflowering vascular plant of the class Filicinae, of tropical to temperate regions, characterized by true roots produced from a rhizome, triangular fronds that uncoil upward and have a branching vein system, and reproduction by spores contained in sporangia that appear as brown dots on the underside of the fronds.

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Fern ² American  

[furn] / fɜrn /

noun

1. a female given name.

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fern British  

/ fɜːn /

noun

1. any tracheophyte plant of the phylum Filicinophyta , having roots, stems, and fronds and reproducing by spores formed in structures (sori) on the fronds See also tree fern

2. any of certain similar but unrelated plants, such as the sweet fern

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fern Scientific  

/ fûrn /

1. Any of numerous seedless vascular plants belonging to the phylum Pterophyta that reproduce by means of spores and usually have feathery fronds divided into many leaflets. Most species of ferns are homosporous (producing only one kind of spore). The haploid spore grows into a small, usually flat gametophyte known as a prothallus, which is undifferentiated into roots, stems, and leaves. The green prothallus anchors itself with hairlike extensions known as rhizoids and bears both archegonia (organs producing female gametes) and antheridia (organs producing male gametes). The male gametes require the presence of water to swim to the female gametes and fertilize the eggs. Normally only one embryo is produced, and it then grows out of the gametophyte plant as a diploid sporophyte plant that has roots, stems, and leaves and conducts photosynthesis, while the smaller gametophyte withers away. The leaves of these sporophytes eventually produce sporangia (in some species occurring in clusters known as sori). Under dry conditions, the sori burst releasing hundreds of thousands or millions of spores. Ferns were abundant in the Carboniferous period and exist today in about 11,000 species, about three-quarters of which live in tropical climates.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fernless
  adjective
• fernlike
  adjective
• ferny
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ferns
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fern

before 900; Middle English ferne, Old English fearn; cognate with German Farn fern, Sanskrit parná feather

Explanation

A fern is a leafy green plant that grows in shady spots. If you see feathery fronds growing on the forest floor, they're probably ferns. Ferns are interesting plants in that they spread using spores (similar to the way mushrooms and other fungi reproduce), and they have a vascular system. Their complex leaves, like our circulatory system, move water and nutrients throughout the fern. Unlike most plants, ferns don't have seeds or flowers, but their delicate leaves are lovely enough to make them popular house plants.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fern Fern ferns

At Rosewood’s three hotels located throughout New Zealand, the chefs honor this ethically sourced ethos, working with local purveyors and farmers to source indigenous ingredients like beach spinach, fern fronds and abalone.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

They also compared tree pollen with fern spores to determine whether the darkening might have been caused by biological differences between plant groups.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

The law in Northern Ireland states that the burning of vegetation such as heather, gorse, whin or fern may only be carried out between 1 September and 14 April.

From BBC ● May 2, 2026

Some areas looked pixelated on the Chromebook, and on the Air I noticed details, like the leaves of a fern or rust on an airlock door, that weren’t as clear on the others.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

The sea breeze rolled in before him and stirred the fern by the front door.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

Then there’s former influencer Alice Llani, who started her channel, Alice and Fern, as a peek into the life of an earthy-crunchy, freebirthing, shoe-shunning tradwife.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Fern Schumer Chapman was hopeful about rebuilding a relationship with her brother when she wrote “Brothers, Sisters, Strangers: Sibling Estrangement and the Road to Reconciliation.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

January traffic was hurt by the winter storm Fern, the company said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

Gothard told the jury he was "dazed and confused" after he was punched by Fern, who knocked the glasses off his head.

From BBC ● May 7, 2026

She turned Fern around in my arms so that her back was against my chest and her face was toward the dance floor.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

This fiery interval also matched a dramatic expansion of ferns.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

The forest sees 15 million visitors each year, making it vulnerable to fires -- quite apart from its sandy soil and vegetation consisting of ferns and highly flammable conifers.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Their rich, sheltered microclimates are home to mosses, lichens, fungi and ferns, with some species rarely found outside the remaining fragments of Cumbrian woodland.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

To make this photo I crawled into a thicket of ferns at the Sunset Marquis Hotel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025

The air smelled of the black soil brought down from the mountains to make Tía Mimi's giant ferns grow tall.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• scrub
• thicket