noun
scrub
Low bushes and small trees covering an area of land.
Thick scrub covers the hillside above the winding dirt road.
Etymology
Scrub is related to shrub. Stunted growth supplied a disparaging sense for something inferior and then an incompetent person; the washing verb is separate.
More examples
- We push through the scrub to reach the trail.
- Small birds find shelter in the scrub.
- Workers clear the scrub before planting the orchard.
Forms
scrub
scrubby adjective — Covered with low bushes and small trees.
scrubland noun — Land covered with bushes and small trees.
Similar words
- brush
- Can also mean cut branches, unlike vegetation rooted in place.
- undergrowth
- Specifically refers to low plants growing beneath trees or taller vegetation.