bracken

noun

brack·en | \ ˈbra-kən

How to pronounce bracken (audio)

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Definition of bracken

1 : a large coarse fern especially : a nearly cosmopolitan brake (Pteridium aquilinum) found in most tropical and temperate regions

2 : a growth of brakes

Examples of bracken in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the mountains, the iris are always first to bloom, the bracken ferns the last to poke through the forest floor, now imminent. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Hiking alone during coronavirus pandemic and shelter in place," 12 Apr. 2020 Trees, bracken, and even roads sparkle in milky light. — Juliana Hanle, Scientific American, "The Fight for the Reindeer," 18 Nov. 2019 The way the procession works is that bracken ferns and willows turn first, then maples, followed by aspens, dogwoods and other hardwoods. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Crazy-quilt start to fall colors across Sierra," 22 Sep. 2019 Hills were covered in heather and bracken, and the fields were divided by old stone walls that had fallen apart in places. — Marc Myers, WSJ, "Mary McCartney Became an Artist With a Little Help from Linda and Paul," 28 Aug. 2018 The Iceman’s last meal was balanced with grains from einkorn wheat and traces of a genus of toxic ferns called bracken. — Lizzie Wade, Science | AAAS, "The ‘Iceman’s’ last meal was a high-fat feast," 12 July 2018 Around them there seemed to be an infinite sampling of vegetation: ferns and clover and scrub and bracken giving way to maples and firs and oaks and hemlocks covered in lichen and moss. — David Gilbert, The New Yorker, "Fungus," 4 June 2017 When cooked properly, young bracken fronds, called fiddleheads, are a delicacy in many countries. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Ötzi the Iceman’s last meal shows how Copper Age people ate on the run," 13 July 2018 Hills were covered in heather and bracken, and the fields were divided by old stone walls that had fallen apart in places. — Marc Myers, WSJ, "Mary McCartney Became an Artist With a Little Help from Linda and Paul," 28 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bracken.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near bracken

bracken poisoning

bracket capital

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Cite this Entry

“Bracken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bracken. Accessed 4 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for bracken

bracken

noun

English Language Learners Definition of bracken

: a large plant that grows commonly in many places around the world : a large kind of fern

See the full definition for bracken in the English Language Learners Dictionary

bracken

noun

brack·en | \ ˈbra-kən

\

Kids Definition of bracken

: a large branching fern

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