heath
noun
a tract of open and uncultivated land; wasteland overgrown with shrubs.
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heath
1 American
[heeth]
/ hiθ /
noun
-
a tract of open and uncultivated land; wasteland overgrown with shrubs.
-
any of various low-growing evergreen shrubs common on such land, as the common heather, Calluna vulgaris.
-
any plant of the genus Erica, or of the family Ericaceae.
Heath
2
American
[heeth]
/ hiθ /
noun
heath
1
British
/ hiːθ /
noun
-
a large open area, usually with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation, esp heather
-
Also called: heather. any low-growing evergreen ericaceous shrub of the Old World genus Erica and related genera, having small bell-shaped typically pink or purple flowers
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any of several nonericaceous heathlike plants, such as sea heath
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any of various heathlike plants of the genus Epacris : family Epacridaceae
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any of various small brown satyrid butterflies of the genus Coenonympha, with coppery-brown wings, esp the large heath ( C. tullia )
Heath
2
British
/ hiːθ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heath
before 900; Middle English; Old English hǣth; cognate with German Heide, Old Norse heithr, Gothic haithi; akin to Welsh coed trees, wood
Explanation
Heath is open land with low growing grasses and plants. If you travel to England, you can drive out in the countryside to see the heath that you've read about in novels. An open, sandy field of low shrubs and scrubby plants like gorse and heather is called a heath. Another word for this kind of uncultivated countryside is moor. A particular evergreen shrub is also called a heath; it's a low-growing plant with purplish flowers that commonly grows on, you guessed it, a heath. The Old English root of heath is the word hǣth, which means "wasteland."
Vocabulary lists containing heath
The Tragedy of Macbeth
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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Beowulf
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Andy Gaunt, director of community interest company Mercian Archaeology Services, explained Sherwood Forest was a royal hunting area made up of woodland and heath, with well-used routes and small settlements within it.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
GP practices have been sending out texts and some parents have received a letter from the heath board via their children's schools.
From BBC • Dec. 2, 2025
Santa Margarita beat Centennial earlier this season 33-27 in overtime in a game Logan missed because of a heath scare.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2025
Adding that the issue was a public heath "crisis," she said social media apps had become "more and more addictive" for children.
From BBC • Sep. 22, 2025
They camped on an open heath, cold and barren, shrouded with mist drifting from the Marshes of Morva.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
