male fern

American  

noun

1. a bright-green fern, Dryopteris filix-mas, of Europe and northeastern North America.

---

male fern British  

noun

1. a fern, Dryopteris filix-mas, having scaly stalks and pinnate fronds with kidney-shaped spore-producing bodies on the underside: family Polypodiaceae

---

Etymology

Origin of male fern

First recorded in 1555–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

male fern

The same authors also recommend extract of male fern for the treatment of fluke disease.

From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry

Powdered male fern, a quarter of an ounce.

From The American Reformed Cattle Doctor by Dadd, George

They are cowhage, scammony, male fern root, calomel, gamboge, tin, and turpentine.

From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous

The male fern resembles the marginal shield fern in outline, but the fronds are thinner, are not evergreen, and the sori are near the midvein.

From The Fern Lover's Companion A Guide for the Northeastern States and Canada by Tilton, George Henry

The liquid extract of male fern is the only drug used with much success.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7 "Bible" to "Bisectrix" by Various