fiddlehead
noun
fid·dle·head
ˈfi-dᵊl-ˌhed 
: one of the young coiled fronds of some ferns (such as the ostrich fern) that are often cooked and eaten as a vegetable
Before the tightly coiled frond of the young fern uncurls, it is called a fiddlehead because of its resemblance to the scrolled head of a violin.—
Maria Kourebanas
Maria Kourebanascalled also fiddlehead fern
Examples of fiddlehead in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Potato gnocchi with Pennsylvania cinnamon fern fiddleheads.
—Elazar Sontag, Bon Appétit, 13 Sep. 2023
Smaller groups will eat well with a lofty breakfast sandwich with house sausage, egg and cheese or elegant egg dishes paired with fiddlehead ferns and other seasonal delights, as well as excellent pour-over coffees made to order.
—oregonlive, 1 July 2022
The yard is carpeted with wild strawberries and fiddlehead ferns, its perimeter ringed with elderberry bushes.
—Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2021
Simeon ran his fingers along tall reedy stalks, feeling for the familiar curled tendrils of pohole (fiddlehead ferns).
—Elyse Inamine, Bon Appétit, 19 July 2021
New asparagus, potatoes, baby artichokes and oddities like fiddlehead ferns or garlic scapes beg to be gently cooked, then drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, doing the bare minimum to highlight their flavor.
—Ben Mims, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2021
And now, mid-pandemic, a dinner plate of snails garnished with fiddlehead ferns — a dish Pyles’ team once served at an exclusive tasting room named Fauna — seems like a joke.
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 22 July 2020
Watch and listen for wildlife as the garden’s weeping Higan cherry trees sway in the wind along the pond, and follow the path of camellias, artfully pruned pine trees and fiddlehead ferns.
—Maya Salam, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2020
Black / Brown Chocolate cosmos, pincushion plant, amaranth, fiddleheads, and agonis are all incredible together—a bit moody, yes, but not too somber.
—Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 12 Feb. 2020
Elazar Sontag, Bon Appétit, 13 Sep. 2023
Smaller groups will eat well with a lofty breakfast sandwich with house sausage, egg and cheese or elegant egg dishes paired with fiddlehead ferns and other seasonal delights, as well as excellent pour-over coffees made to order.
—oregonlive, 1 July 2022
The yard is carpeted with wild strawberries and fiddlehead ferns, its perimeter ringed with elderberry bushes.
—Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2021
Simeon ran his fingers along tall reedy stalks, feeling for the familiar curled tendrils of pohole (fiddlehead ferns).
—Elyse Inamine, Bon Appétit, 19 July 2021
New asparagus, potatoes, baby artichokes and oddities like fiddlehead ferns or garlic scapes beg to be gently cooked, then drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, doing the bare minimum to highlight their flavor.
—Ben Mims, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2021
And now, mid-pandemic, a dinner plate of snails garnished with fiddlehead ferns — a dish Pyles’ team once served at an exclusive tasting room named Fauna — seems like a joke.
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 22 July 2020
Watch and listen for wildlife as the garden’s weeping Higan cherry trees sway in the wind along the pond, and follow the path of camellias, artfully pruned pine trees and fiddlehead ferns.
—Maya Salam, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2020
Black / Brown Chocolate cosmos, pincushion plant, amaranth, fiddleheads, and agonis are all incredible together—a bit moody, yes, but not too somber.
—Heather Arndt Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 12 Feb. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fiddlehead.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fiddlehead
Cite this Entry
“Fiddlehead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddlehead. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fiddlehead
noun
fid·dle·head
ˈfid-ᵊl-ˌhed
: one of the young tightly coiled leaves of some ferns that are often eaten as greens
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