noun
fern
FURN/fɜːrn/
A nonflowering plant with fronds that reproduces by spores.
The fern unfolds a fresh curled frond above its older leaves.
Etymology
Old English fearn already named the plant. A proposed deeper connection with “feather” would fit its feathery fronds, but that ancestry remains uncertain.
In context
you might grow the staghorn fern this is another plant that has modified leaves in this case modified for life attached to the trunk of a tree
More examples
- Several ferns grew beside the stream.
- She moved the fern into a shaded spot.
- A delicate fern filled the hanging basket.
Forms
fern · ferns