bracken

noun

brack·​en ˈbra-kən How to pronounce bracken (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This transverse section of the stem of bracken fern could be a cartoonist’s impression of a talking...stem of bracken fern. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 Intensive agricultural usage, long promoted by government funding, gives way to the rampant spread of bracken — a type of fern that, left to its own devices, grows upwards of six feet, choking out any other life. Tom Vanderbilt, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2024 Come morning, all this would be vines, bracken, and bears. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2023 The few shards of sunlight that pierce the leaf canopy cast glitter-ball shapes on the bracken. Stephen Humphries, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Aug. 2023 Habitats include bracken grassland, oak savanna and sand prairies. Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 6 June 2023 In a statement, Cornwall Archaeological Unit senior archaeologist Peter Dudley, said that 13 volunteers gave 111 hours of their time to clear the bracken and scrub that obscured the henge. Jane Recker, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 May 2022 The crash of wild bodies in the bracken thundered in my ears. Outside Online, 25 May 2020 Some dishes on display — radish pickles, or mushrooms paired with gently chewy bracken ferns dressed in nutty perilla oil, or tangles of acorn-flour noodles — bring to mind an uplifting array of banchan. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English braken, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish brækne fern

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bracken was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near bracken

Cite this Entry

“Bracken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bracken. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

bracken

noun
brack·​en ˈbrak-ən How to pronounce bracken (audio)
: a large coarse branching fern
also : a growth of such ferns

More from Merriam-Webster on bracken

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!