gorse

[ gawrs ]

noun

1. any spiny shrub of the genus Ulex, of the legume family, native to the Old World, especially U. europaeus, having rudimentary leaves and yellow flowers and growing in waste places and sandy soil.

gorse

/ ɡɔːs /

noun

1. any evergreen shrub of the leguminous genus Ulex, esp the European species U. europeaus, which has yellow flowers and thick green spines instead of leaves Also calledfurzewhin

Derived Forms

• ˈgorsy, adjective

Other Words From

• gorsy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gorse¹

before 900; Middle English gorst, Old English; akin to German Gerste, Latin hordeum barley

Word History and Origins

Origin of gorse¹

Old English gors; related to Old Irish garb rough, Latin horrēre to bristle, Old High German gersta barley, Greek khēr hedgehog

Example Sentences

Ross, 36, drove from his home in Fife and tracked down the location, hundreds of metres down an old track which was overgrown with gorse.

From BBC

There is little diversity on the majority of the 146-acre land, with nearly all fields grazed by sheep, but there are some wetter areas and some hedgerows of blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, oak, gorse and holly.

From BBC

After a two-under 34 on the front nine, Lowry's momentum stalled at the par-four 11th when he hooked his second shot into a gorse bush, leading to a double bogey.

From BBC

From there he hit what former Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew called an "inexplicable hook" straight across the fairway and deep into a gorse bush.

From BBC

Firefighters are battling a large gorse fire in the Mourne Mountains.

From BBC

Related Words

• scrub
• thicket