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bracken

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bracken¹

  • /ˈbɹækən/

Rhymes with -ækən

Where it comes from

From Middle English braken, probably of Scandinavian/North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *brakni (“undergrowth”), related to Proto-Germanic *brekaną and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). Cognates include Danish bregne and Swedish bräken (“fern”).

noun brackens

  1. countable, uncountable, usually Any of several coarse ferns, of the genus Pteridium, that form dense thickets; often poisonous to livestock.
  2. uncountable, usually An area of countryside heavily populated by this fern.

Bracken²

  • /ˈbɹækən/

Where it comes from

* As an Irish surname, from Ó Breacáin (“descendant of Breacán”), from Breacán, a name diminutive of breac (“spotted”)

* As an English surname, from Middle English bracken (“fern”)

* As an English habitational surname, from Bracon Ash in Norfolk, Bracken in Yorkshire

* As a German surname, from Middle Low German braak (“fallow”)

Also compare Brackeen.

proper noun

  1. A surname.
  2. An unincorporated community in Huntington County, Indiana, United States.
  3. An unincorporated community in Webster County, Missouri, United States, named after Bracken Creek.
  4. A village in the Rural Municipality of Lone Tree No. 18, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Translations

Every language

noun any of several coarse ferns

Españolhelecho
한국어고사리 gosari
日本語蕨 warabi
中文羊齒 /羊齿 yángchǐ, 蕨菜 juécài
Portuguêsfeto-águia
Françaisptéridium
DeutschAdlerfarne
Italianofelce, felce aquilina
Русскийпа́поротник-орля́к páporotnik-orlják

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Cite this
MLA

"bracken." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bracken. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

bracken. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bracken

Chicago

"bracken." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bracken.

BibTeX
@misc{bracken_2026,
  title = {bracken},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bracken},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}