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View synonyms for awn

awn

[ awn ]

noun

, Botany.
  1. a bristlelike appendage of a plant, especially on the glumes of grasses.
  2. such appendages collectively, as those forming the beard of wheat, barley, etc.
  3. any similar bristle.


awn

/ ɔːn /

noun

  1. any of the bristles growing from the spikelets of certain grasses, including cereals
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

awn

/ ôn /

  1. A slender, bristlelike appendage found on the spikelets of many grasses.
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Derived Forms

  • awned, adjective
  • ˈawnless, adjective
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Other Words From

  • awned adjective
  • awnless adjective
  • un·awned adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of awn1

1250–1300; Middle English aw ( u ) n, agune, agene, probably < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse ǫgn, Old Danish aghn husk; replacing and cognate with Old English ægnan; cognate with Gothic ahana, Old High German agana ( German Agen, Ahne ), Dutch, Frisian agen; OL agna ear of grain, Czech osina awn; Greek ákaina thorn, bristle, ákhnē chaff (< a pre-Hellenic substratum language); < Indo-European *Haeḱ- sharp
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Word History and Origins

Origin of awn1

Old English agen ear of grain; related to Old Norse ögn chaff, Gothic ahana, Old High German agana, Greek akōn javelin
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Example Sentences

The seeds, or awns, contain sharp barbs that can cause wounds and infections if inhaled or if they get caught in paws and fur.

Aesthetics is yet another value that indigenous farmers cherish, cultivating certain landraces simply for their beautiful colors or patterns: gold, brown, purple and black furrows on yellow hulls, purple apexes, black awns, and so on.

“What am I awn?” she asks when her children are comparing their various drug treatments.

The awns are just as good at snagging droplets out of passing waves of fog and collecting raindrops that splash down from above.

These awns at the tip of each leaf can collect air from a variety of sources, from fog to heavy rain, using several specialized tools.

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