noun
awn
AWN/ɔn/
A stiff, bristlelike growth on the flowering head of grass or grain.
A long awn extends from each grain on the barley head.
Etymology
Old Norse ögn named the bristly growth on grain plants. English preserves that concrete plant sense, using awn for an individual slender, projecting bristle.
In context
it has an awn on the lemma um that is usually as it it matures it's a bent awn
More examples
- The dog's coat caught several sharp awns.
- The dry awns bristled along the seed heads.
- She examined the awn under a magnifying glass.
Forms
awn · awns
Similar words
- bristle
- Is a general stiff hair or hairlike projection.
- spikelet
- Names the small flower cluster rather than its projecting bristle.