heather

¹ American  

[heth-er] / ˈhɛð ər /

noun

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

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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 American  

[heth-er] / ˈhɛð ər /

noun

1. a female given name.

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heather British  

/ 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

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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

Etymology

Origin of heather

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

Explanation

Heather is a hearty flowering plant that's common in many parts of the world but most famous for growing in the Scottish Highlands. Heather grows in low, dense mats, often in soil that's wet, acidic, or otherwise inhospitable. In Scotland, millions of acres are carpeted in colorful heather, and the country is closely associated with the plant. The Old English root of heather is hæddre, and the word was mainly used in Scots until the 16th century. As a girl's name, Heather was extremely rare until the 1930s, and its popularity exploded in the 1970s and 80s.

Example Sentences

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

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.

From BBC • Jul. 17, 2025

Due to the area being "a foot of snow over steep bouldery heather" the Rescue 912 helicopter from Humberside Airport was called.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025

There is one spot he likes near Muggleswick where he can lie on his back among the heather and watch the red kites soar above him.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2024

But if the heather itself was silent, the breeze brought distant night sounds across the open common.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Related Words

• drab
• dusty
• silvery