bracken

[brak-uh n] /ˈbræk ən/
noun
1.
a large fern or brake, especially Pteridium aquilinum.
2.
a cluster or thicket of such ferns; an area overgrown with ferns and shrubs.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English braken < Scandinavian; compare Swedish bräken fern, Norwegian brake juniper
Related forms
brackened, adjective
Examples from the web for bracken
  • bracken fern and wild ginger thrived in the late-summer understory.
  • bracken is particularly abundant on the island, with heather growing in some other parts.
  • bracken became editor and immediately began to encourage local writers.
  • bracken never explained what he meant, so there is no definitive clarification today.
British Dictionary definitions for bracken

bracken

/ˈbrækən/
noun
1.
Also called brake. any of various large coarse ferns, esp Pteridium aquilinum, having large fronds with spore cases along the undersides and extensive underground stems
2.
a clump of any of these ferns
Word Origin
C14: of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish bräken, Danish bregne
Word Origin and History for bracken
n.

"coarse fern," early 14c., a northern England word from a Scandinavian source (cf. Danish bregne, Swedish bräken "fern").