fern seed

noun

the spores of ferns, formerly supposed to have the power to make persons invisible.

fern seed

the minute particles by which ferns reproduce themselves, formerly thought to be invisible. Possession of them was thought to make a person invisible

First recorded in 1590–1600

She sat rocking herself to and fro in her sorrow, while the old woman threw the fern seed, picked, alas!

At one period it was believed that "fern-seed," as the fern-spores were called, possessed various miraculous powers.

Nay, I think rather you are more beholden to the night than to fern-seed, for your walking invisible.

Prance and the sentries had, for each other, the secret of fern-seed, they walked invisible.

The first thing to be done was to get rid of the fern-seed which she now regarded as a hateful thing.

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