gorse

[ gawrs ]
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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.

Origin of gorse

1
before 900; Middle English gorst,Old English; akin to German Gerste,Latin hordeum barley
  • Also called furze; especially British, whin.

Other words from gorse

  • gorsy, adjective

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How to use gorse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gorse

gorse

/ (ɡɔːs) /


noun
  1. 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: Also called: furze, whin

Origin of gorse

1
Old English gors; related to Old Irish garb rough, Latin horrēre to bristle, Old High German gersta barley, Greek khēr hedgehog

Derived forms of gorse

  • gorsy, adjective

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