|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
heath
heath / hē[unvoicedth]/ • n. 1. an area of open uncultivated land, esp. in Britain, with characteristic vegetation of heather, gorse, and coarse grasses. ∎ Ecol. vegetation dominated by dwarf shrubs of the heath family: [as adj.] heath vegetation. 2. a dwarf shrub with small leathery leaves and small pink or purple bell-shaped flowers, characteristic of heathland and moorland. • Erica and related genera, family Ericaceae (the heath family): many species, including the common European cross-leaved heath (E. tetralix). DERIVATIVES: heath·y adj. |
|
|
Cite this article
"heath." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "heath." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-heath005.html "heath." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-heath005.html |
|
heath
heath tract of open land characterized by a few scattered trees, abundant moss cover, and numerous low shrubs, principally of the heath family (see heath , in botany). In high-latitude regions with minimal variation in climate, the undershrub vegetation may persist indefinitely on shallow, peaty soils rather than undergoing succession to the climax vegetation (see ecology ), e.g., temperate forests. Alpine azalea, bearberry, dwarf birch, and some insectivorous plants are among the additional flora found on north-temperate heaths. |
|
|
Cite this article
"heath." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "heath." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-heath.html "heath." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-heath.html |
|
heath
heath1 open waste land. OE. hǣð, corr, to OS. hētha, MLG., MDu. hēde, MHG. heide (Du., G. heide), ON. heiōe, Goth. haiþi :- Gmc. *χaiþiz :- IE. *kait-, repr. also by Gaul. cēto- in place-names, OW. coit (W. coed) wood, forest.
|
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "heath." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "heath." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-heath.html T. F. HOAD. "heath." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-heath.html |
|
Heath
Heath, a common name, ‘(place at) the heath’, OE hǣth; examples include: Heath and Reach Beds. La Hethe 1276. See Reach. Heath Derbys. Heth 1257. Earlier called Lunt 1086 (DB) from OScand. lundr ‘small wood, grove’.
|
|
|
Cite this article
A. D. MILLS. "Heath." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Heath." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Heath.html A. D. MILLS. "Heath." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Heath.html |
|
Heath
Heath ♂ Transferred use of the surname, in origin a local name for someone who lived on a patch of heathland (Old English hǣð).
|
|
|
Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Heath." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Heath." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Heath.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Heath." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Heath.html |
|
heath
heath
•beneath, buck teeth, Hadith, heath, Keith, neath, Reith, sheath, teeth, underneath, Westmeath, wreath
•eye teeth • dog-teeth
|
|
|
Cite this article
"heath." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "heath." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-heath.html "heath." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-heath.html |
|