noun / verb

hedge

HEJ/hedʒ/

An enclosing barrier formed by closely planted vegetation.

A dense hedge of shrubs forms a boundary around the garden.

A closely planted row of dense shrubs forms a garden boundary.

Etymology

Old English hecg could mean any fence, whether living or artificial. The selected meaning is narrower: closely planted shrubs serve as the fence itself.

In context

Witch Doctor159:41

i'm just driving some posts in along this gap in the hedge and then I'm going to weave a load of hazel up and down

Victorian Farm Episodes 1-6

More examples

We trim the hedge each spring to keep it neat.
Birds nest in the thick hedges between the yards.
They hedged the vegetable garden with boxwood.

Forms

hedge · hedges · hedged · hedging

Similar words

hedgerow: Usually a longer boundary of shrubs or trees between fields.
fence: Usually built from materials rather than grown from plants.