heather
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heather¹
- /ˈhɛðə/ UK
- /ˈhɛðɚ/ US
- /ˈheðə/ Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈhɛðəɾ/ Scotland
- /ˈhiːðəɹ/ obsolete
Rhymes with -ɛðə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English hather, hathir, from Old English *hǣddre and hǣþ (“heather”), cognate with Scots hedder, hadder, heddir (“heather”), Saterland Frisian Heede (“heather”), West Frisian heide (“heather”), Dutch heide (“heather”), German Low German Heide, Heid (“heather”), German Heide (“heather”).
noun heathers · hadder · hether · hather
-
An evergreen plant, Calluna vulgaris, with spiky leaves and small purple, pink, or white flowers.
The cutting sides were gay with heather in bloom, and masses of dainty Scots bluebells, while patches of clear sky overhead were bringing life and colour to the sea.
Similar: ling
- A plant in the family Ericaceae.
- Various species of the genus Erica.
- Various species of the genus Cassiope.
- A purple colour with a tint of pink and blue.
- The use of interwoven yarns of mixed colours to produce flecks.
adjective hadder · hether · hather
- Of a purple colour with a tint of pink and blue.
Heather²
- /ˈhɛðɚ/ US
- /ˈhɛðə/ UK
- /ˈhiːðə/
Rhymes with -ɛðə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From heather; the given name is one of the plant names taken up in the 19th century. The surname is habitational, also meaning someone living on a heath.
proper noun Heathers
- A female given name from English. She struck his fancy - that pretty girl with the quaint name: sweet Heather Bell, as Mr. Travers always called her. "The name was a fancy of her godfather, an eccentric bachelor," the lady explained. " She was the youngest of three daughters, and the other two were called, respectively, 'Lily' and '
- A surname from Middle English.
- A village and civil parish in North West Leicestershire district, Leicestershire, England (OS grid ref SK3910).
- An unincorporated community in Marion County, Missouri, United States.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: ling, broom, calluna vulgaris, heather mixture, scots heather, heath, michel, chapel, joshi, suzanne, stephanie, macdonald, goodall, mchugh, crowe, dubrow
Translations
Every language
noun plant
| Español | brezo, urce |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ギリュウモドキ giryūmodoki |
| 中文 | 帚石楠 zhǒushínán |
| Português | urze |
| Français | bruyère, callune |
| Deutsch | Besenheide, Heidekraut |
| Italiano | erica, brugo |
| Ελληνικά | ρείκι reíki, ερείκη ereíki |
| Română | iarbă neagră |
| Русский | ве́реск véresk |
| العربية | خَلَنْج ḵalanj |
Talk about this word "heather." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/heather. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. heather. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/heather "heather." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/heather.Cite this
@misc{heather_2026,
title = {heather},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/heather},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
