fiddlehead

American  

[fid-l-hed] / ˈfɪd lˌhɛd /

noun

1. Nautical. a billethead having a form similar to the volute carved at the upper end of a violin.

2. the young, coiled frond of various species of ferns, eaten as a vegetable.

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fiddlehead British  

/ ˈfɪdəlˌhɛd /

noun

1. nautical an ornamental carving, in the shape of the scroll at the head end of a fiddle, fitted to the top of the stem or cutwater

2. the edible coiled tip of a young fern frond

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Etymology

Origin of fiddlehead

First recorded in 1790–1800; fiddle + head

Example Sentences

Spring specialties: garlic scapes, pea shoots, ramps, fiddlehead ferns, English peas, fava beans.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2025

In “The Spring Ephemerals,” a trillium belongs to a complex ecosystem of “rue anemone, masses // of colt’s foot, wild ginger, blood root and may- / apples, bracken and fiddlehead fern.”

From The New Yorker • Apr. 1, 2019

Buzzing with fashion insiders, it was a cool clubhouse for well-dressed organic-fed scenesters — a post-Keith McNally generation who prefer fiddlehead ferns over steak frites.

From New York Times • May 25, 2012

Two pieces depicting fiddlehead ferns offer a more asymmetrical and cartoonlike take on frond shapes, focusing not on the delicacy of the plant but on its curling vigor.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 12, 2010

Aibileen picks up another fiddlehead, starts washing its long stem, the curly green ends.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett