gorse
/ɡɔːs
/noun [mass noun]
A yellow-flowered shrub of the pea family, the leaves of which are modified to form spines, native to western Europe and North Africa: sheep graze on undulating green hills blooming with yellow gorse [as modifier]: on the 11th hole his drive ended up in a gorse bush
- Genus Ulex, family Leguminosae: several species, in particular the common European U. europaeus, which grows widely in heathy places.
- Elsewhere, dozens of residents had to be evacuated in Gwent, Wales, where hundreds of mature trees, bracken, gorse and shrubs were destroyed.
- Thousands of saplings were planted and native gorse was established to create wildlife habitats.
Derivatives
gorsy
- Brushwood Hill is the high, gorsy knoll of gravel against which Chester farmhouse is built.
- Where Lowell lived, this consisted of low-lying conifers, alders, and gorsy thicket.
- The walk along the track is firstly through gorsy terrain, then it becomes easier (long pants are a good idea).
Origin
Old English gors, gorst, from an Indo-European root meaning 'rough, prickly', shared by German Gerste and Latin hordeum 'barley'.