heather
oxford
views updated May 18 2018heath·er / ˈhe[voicedth]ər/ •
n. a purple-flowered Eurasian heath (Calluna vulgaris) that grows abundantly on moorland and heathland. Many ornamental varieties have been developed. ∎ inf. any similar plant of this family; a heath.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
heather
oxford
views updated Jun 11 2018heather (ling) Evergreen shrub native to
Europe and
Asia. It has small bell-shaped flowers of pink, lavender, or white. Family Ericaceae; species Calluna vulgaris. See also
erica World Encyclopedia
heather
oxford
views updated May 11 2018heather XIV (Sc. and north.
hathir, etc.). The form
hadder or
hather prevailed in Eng. use from XVI to XVIII, when
heather is first recorded; of unkn. orig., perh. repr. OE. *
hæ̂ddre; app. assim. to
HEATH1 or
HEATH2.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
