From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfernfern /fɜːn $ fɜːrn/ noun [countable] HBPa type of plant with green leaves shaped like large feathers, but no flowers —ferny adjective
Examples from the Corpus
fern• Hairy tongues like fat black ferns spilled out of them, shivering in the draught of their passing.• I let myself out through the side gate and washed my fingers off on a faucet beside the Boston ferns.• And there are people who leave the track while trying to gather a few ferns.• In general, ferns like organically enriched, moist but well-draining soil on the acid side.• The air smelled of the black soil brought down from the mountains to make Tia Mimi s giant ferns grow tall.• And if you have partial sun, holly fern would be a good choice, as would dwarf gardenias.• Several rare ferns grow on the steep banks of the burn where it runs into the lake.• Description: This aquatic water fern is a rosette plant which has dense, fibrous roots.Origin fern Old English fearn 