Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Nearby Words

AWN

 - 2 dictionary results

awn

[awn]
–noun Botany.
1. a bristlelike appendage of a plant, esp. on the glumes of grasses.
2. such appendages collectively, as those forming the beard of wheat, barley, etc.
3. any similar bristle.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME aw(u)n, agune, agene, prob. < Scand; cf. ON ǫgn, ODan aghn husk; r. and c. OE ægnan; c. Goth ahana, OHG agana (G Agen, Ahne), D, Fris agen; OL agna ear of grain, Czech osina awn; Gk ákaina thorn, bristle, ákhnē chaff (< a pre-Hellenic substratum language); < IE *Hae- sharp


awned, adjective
awnless, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To AWN
awn   (ôn)   
n.  A slender, bristlelike appendage found on the spikelets of many grasses.

[Middle English awne, from Old Norse ögn or from Old English agen; see ak- in Indo-European roots.]
awned adj., awn'less adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see AWN on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: