gorse

American  

[gawrs] / gɔrs /

noun

1. any spiny shrub of the genus Ulex, of the legume family, native to the Old World, especially U. europaeus, having rudimentary leaves and yellow flowers and growing in waste places and sandy soil.

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gorse British  

/ ɡɔːs /

noun

1. Also called: furze.   whin.  any evergreen shrub of the leguminous genus Ulex, esp the European species U. europeaus, which has yellow flowers and thick green spines instead of leaves

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gorsy
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of gorse

before 900; Middle English gorst, Old English; akin to German Gerste, Latin hordeum barley

Example Sentences

Gorse bushes creep close to the left edge of the green, but there is a wide expanse of fairway between the gorse and two bunkers on the right.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 8, 2022

Gorse, grandstands, sand and out-of-bounds stakes, heather and humans.

From Golf Digest • Jul. 21, 2019

Gorse, another common bush, is splashed across the landscape.

From Washington Post • Sep. 29, 2016

McCarry, of Gorse Lane, Galashiels, appeared from custody and pleaded guilty on indictment to a breach of the peace charge.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2013

Persistent efforts have been made to acclimate both Heather and Gorse in America.

From Old-Time Gardens Newly Set Forth by Earle, Alice Morse

Related Words

• scrub
• thicket