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.
The Bruins’ veteran pitcher responded by striking out the Gamecocks’ Tate Davis and Natalie Heath to close the inning.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026
That became a problem for Chinese shippers around 2010 when Somali piracy was on an upswing, so Beijing permitted the creation of private firms according to strict guidelines, Heath said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026
The bar, which has come from a private collector, is being auctioned on Tuesday, 19 May by Lockdales Auctioneers & Valuers, based at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
The terms were restrictive enough to effectively ban such a project not only from land owned by Heath and his sister, but from all but the small portion of the township that’s zoned for industry.
From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026
She was also the technical advisor for the upcoming spy thriller Queen and Country, which is why the team was at Pinewood Studios just outside of London in the town of Iver Heath.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
