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rowan

 - 3 dictionary results

row⋅an

  [roh-uhn, rou-]
Use rowan in a Sentence
–noun
1. the European mountain ash, Sorbus aucuparia, having pinnate leaves and clusters of bright red berries.
2. either of two American mountain ashes, Sorbus americana or S. sambucifolia.
3. the berry of any of these trees.
Origin:
1795–1805; < ON *raun- in reynir, Norw raun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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row·an   (rō'ən, rou'-)   
n.  A small deciduous European tree (Sorbus aucuparia) of the rose family, having pinnately compound leaves, corymbs of white flowers, and orange-red berries.

[Of Scandinavian origin; see reudh- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

rowan 
"mountain ash," 1804, from rowan-tree, rountree (1548), northern English and Scottish, from a Scandinavian source (cf. O.N. reynir, Swed. Ronn "the rowan"), ultimately from the root of red, in reference to the berries. The rowan "was the tree most often credited with protective magical powers against all effects of witchcraft, not merely in Celtic areas but throughout Britain." ["Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore"]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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