Braken

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tall, coarse fern that grows in open woodland, moorland and heath, often forming dense thickets
2. A large, hardy fern with triangular fronds that spreads widely across uncultivated ground and hillsides
3. The common name for a tall fern found on heaths and in clearings, whose spreading growth can dominate the land

Etymology: "Braken" is an older spelling of "bracken," the word for the tall, coarse ferns that carpet heathland and woodland edges. Its roots run to Old Norse, where "brakni" meant "undergrowth," a sense that fits the way these plants form dense thickets. Middle English adopted the word in the form "braken," probably from Scandinavian speakers, and it has kept a Norse-flavoured look in its relatives: Danish has "bregne" and Swedish "bräken," both meaning "fern." The Norse word connects to an older Germanic verb, "brekaną," meaning "to break," and behind that lies a very ancient Indo-European root, "bʰreg-," with the same sense. The link to breaking is usually explained by the way ferns and their stems snap or crowd together to make a tangle through which one must push and break a path.

Synonyms: bracken, fern