heather

¹

[heth-er]

noun

1. any of various heaths, especially Calluna vulgaris, of England and Scotland, having small, pinkish-purple flowers.

adjective

1. (of a yarn or fabric color) subtly flecked or mottled.

   all-cotton turtlenecks in your choice of five solid colors plus heather gray and heather green.

Heather

²

[heth-er]

noun

1. a female given name.

heather

/ ˈhɛðə /

noun

1. Also called: ling.  heath. a low-growing evergreen Eurasian ericaceous shrub, Calluna vulgaris, that grows in dense masses on open ground and has clusters of small bell-shaped typically pinkish-purple flowers

2. any of certain similar plants

3. a purplish-red to pinkish-purple colour

adjective

1. of a heather colour

2. of or relating to interwoven yarns of mixed colours

   heather mixture

Other Word Forms

• heathered adjective
• heathery adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of heather¹

1300–50; spelling variant of hether, earlier hedder, hadder, hather, Middle English hathir; akin to heath

Word History and Origins

Origin of heather¹

C14: originally Scottish and Northern English, probably from _heath

Example Sentences

Only decades ago many of the cottages in Scotland’s Highlands were roofed in heather, bracken and marram grass.

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"We had a search recently and underneath a load of heather where you couldn't see a thing from the surface, Henry recovered a tiny bird's skull."

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While the main purpose is to encourage new heather growth for grouse and other animals to feed on, it also gets rid of excess vegetation which can fuel wildfires.

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The wild, flat landscapes dotted with gorse and heather are known for their wildlife, including rare species like the sand lizard, woodlark and silver-studded blue butterfly.

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Upland heathland is characterised by the presence of low-growing shrubs, such as heather.

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Related Words

• drab 
• dusty 
• silvery