fern(n = noun.plant) - any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores;
is a kind of nonflowering plant, pteridophyte
has parts: fern seed
is a member of class filicinae, class filicopsida, filicinae, filicopsida
has particulars: pecopteris, film fern, filmy fern, bristle fern, filmy fern, flowering fern, osmund, crape fern, leptopteris superba, prince-of-wales feather, prince-of-wales fern, prince-of-wales plume, todea superba, crepe fern, king fern, todea barbara, curly grass, curly grass fern, schizaea pusilla, anemia adiantifolia, pine fern, climbing fern, mohria caffrorum, scented fern, aquatic fern, water fern, adder's tongue, adder's tongue fern, grape fern, flowering fern, helminthostachys zeylanica, diplopterygium longissimum, giant scrambling fern, fan fern, gleichenia flabellata, sticherus flabellatus, umbrella fern, polypody, aglaomorpha meyeniana, bear's-paw fern, strap fern, basket fern, drynaria rigidula, lecanopteris, microgramma-piloselloides, snake polypody, climbing bird's nest fern, microsorium punctatum, golden polypody, phlebodium aureum, polypodium aureum, rabbit's-foot fern, serpent fern, staghorn fern, cyclophorus lingua, felt fern, pyrrosia lingua, tongue fern, potato fern, solanopteris bifrons, grass fern, ribbon fern, vittaria lineata, spleenwort, asplenium nidus, bird's nest fern, asplenium scolopendrium, hart's-tongue, hart's-tongue fern, phyllitis scolopendrium, asplenium ceterach, ceterach officinarum, scale fern, scaly fern, asplenium nigripes, schaffneria nigripes, scolopendrium nigripes, scolopendrium, hard fern, doodia, rasp fern, chain fern, tree fern, davallia, boulder fern, dennstaedtia punctilobula, hay-scented, hay-scented fern, scented fern, bracken, brake, pasture brake, pteridium aquilinum, bracken, pteridium esculentum, culcita dubia, false bracken, buckler fern, shield fern, wood-fern, wood fern, woodfern, athyrium filix-femina, lady fern, athyrium pycnocarpon, diplazium pycnocarpon, glade fern, narrow-leaved spleenwort, silvery spleenwort, cyrtomium aculeatum, holly fern, polystichum aculeatum, bladder fern, athyrium thelypteroides, deparia acrostichoides, silvery spleenwort, gymnocarpium dryopteris, oak fern, thelypteris dryopteris, gymnocarpium robertianum, limestone fern, northern oak fern, fiddlehead, matteuccia struthiopteris, onoclea struthiopteris, ostrich fern, pteretis struthiopteris, shuttlecock fern, hart's-tongue, hart's-tongue fern, olfersia cervina, polybotria cervina, polybotrya cervina, bead fern, onoclea sensibilis, sensitive fern, canker brake, christmas fern, dagger fern, evergreen wood fern, polystichum acrostichoides, holly fern, leather fern, leatherleaf fern, polystichum adiantiformis, rumohra adiantiformis, ten-day fern, button fern, tectaria cicutaria, indian button fern, tectaria macrodonta, woodsia, oleander fern, oleandra mollis, oleandra neriiformis, sword fern, acrostichum aureum, golden fern, leather fern, maidenhair, maidenhair fern, annual fern, anogramma leptophylla, jersey fern, lip fern, lipfern, cheilanthes gracillima, lace fern, bamboo fern, coniogramme japonica, rock brake, doryopteris pedata, hand fern, cliff-brake, cliff brake, rock brake, button fern, pellaea rotundifolia, pityrogramma argentea, silver fern, pityrogramma calomelanos, silver fern, golden fern, pityrogramma calomelanos aureoflava, gold fern, pityrogramma chrysophylla, brake, pteris cretica, pteris multifida, spider brake, spider fern, pteris serrulata, ribbon fern, spider fern, marattia salicina, potato fern, dryopteris thelypteris, marsh fern, thelypteris palustris, christella, dryopteris oreopteris, mountain fern, oreopteris limbosperma, dryopteris noveboracensis, new york fern, parathelypteris novae-boracensis, massachusetts fern, parathelypteris simulata, thelypteris simulata, beech fern
Derived forms adjective ferny₁, adjective ferny₂

   Long ago. Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

   Ancient; old. [Obs.] “Pilgrimages to . . . ferne halwes.” [saints]. Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

   An order of cryptogamous plants, the Filices, which have their fructification on the back of the fronds or leaves. They are usually found in humid soil, sometimes grow epiphytically on trees, and in tropical climates often attain a gigantic size. [1913 Webster]
" The plants are asexual, and bear clustered sporangia, containing minute spores, which germinate and form prothalli, on which are borne the true organs of reproduction. The brake or bracken, the maidenhair, and the polypody are all well known ferns." [1913 Webster]

fern, n. (pl. same or ferns) any flowerless plant of the order Filicales, reproducing by spores and usu. having feathery fronds.

Derivative:
fernery n. (pl. -ies). fernless adj. ferny adj.

Etymology:
OE fearn f. WG

N  vegetable, vegetable kingdom, flora, verdure, plant, tree, shrub, bush, creeper, herb, herbage, grass, annual, perennial, biennial, triennial, exotic, timber, forest, wood, woodlands, timberland, hurst, frith, holt, weald, park, chase, greenwood, brake, grove, copse, coppice, bocage, tope, clump of trees, thicket, spinet, spinney, underwood, brushwood, scrub, boscage, bosk, ceja, chaparal, motte, arboretum, bush, jungle, prairie, heath, heather, fern, bracken, furze, gorse, whin, grass, turf, pasture, pasturage, turbary, sedge, rush, weed, fungus, mushroom, toadstool, lichen, moss, conferva, mold, growth, alfalfa, alfilaria, banyan, blow, blowth, floret, petiole, pin grass, timothy, yam, yew, zinnia, foliage, branch, bough, ramage, stem, tigella, spray, leaf, flower, blossom, bine, flowering plant, timber tree, fruit tree, pulse, legume, vegetable, vegetal, vegetive, vegitous, herbaceous, herbal, botanic, sylvan, silvan, arborary, arboreous, arborescent, arborical, woody, grassy, verdant, verdurous, floral, mossy, lignous, ligneous, wooden, leguminous, vosky, cespitose, turf-like, turfy, endogenous, exogenous, green-robed senators of mighty woods, this is the forest primeval.

adder's fern, adder's tongue fern, alabama lip fern, alpine lady fern, american maidenhair fern, american parsley fern, american wall fern, annual fern, aquatic fern, asparagus fern, ball fern, bamboo fern, basket fern, bead fern, bear's-paw fern, beech fern, bermuda maidenhair fern, berry fern, bird's nest fern, bird's-foot fern, black tree fern, bladder fern, boston fern, boulder fern, braun's holly fern, bristle fern, brittle bladder fern, brittle fern, brittle maidenhair fern, broad beech fern, buckler fern, bulblet bladder fern, bulblet fern, button fern, california fern, canary island hare's foot fern, carolina pond fern, central american strap fern, chain fern, christmas fern, cinnamon fern, climbing bird's nest fern, climbing fern, climbing maidenhair fern, clover fern, coffee fern, common staghorn fern, cow-tongue fern, crape fern, creeping fern, crepe fern, curly grass fern, dagger fern, daisy-leaved grape fern, daisyleaf grape fern, deer fern, ditch fern, elkhorn fern, european parsley fern, evergreen wood fern, fan fern, farley maidenhair fern, felt fern, fern ally, fern family, fern genus, fern palm, fern rhapis, fern seed, fiddlehead fern, film fern, filmy fern, five-fingered maidenhair fern, floating fern, florida strap fern, flower-cup fern, flowering fern, fragile fern, fragrant cliff fern, fragrant shield fern, fragrant wood fern, giant fern, giant scrambling fern, glade fern, glory fern, gold fern, golden fern, goldie's fern, goldie's shield fern, goldie's wood fern, grape fern, grass fern, hairy lip fern, hand fern, hard fern, hare's-foot bristle fern, hare's-foot fern, hart's-tongue fern, hartford fern, hay-scented fern, holly fern, indian button fern, interrupted fern, jersey fern, kidney fern, killarney fern, king fern, lace fern, lady fern, leather fern, leatherleaf fern, leatherleaf wood fern, leathery grape fern, licorice fern, limestone fern, lip fern, long beech fern, maidenhair fern, male fern, marginal wood fern, marsh fern, massachusetts fern, meadow fern, mosquito fern, mountain bladder fern, mountain fern, mountain male fern, mountain parsley fern, narrow beech fern, narrow-leaved strap fern, nebraska fern, new york fern, northern beech fern, northern holly fern, northern oak fern, oak fern, oleander fern, ostrich fern, pine fern, potato fern, prickly shield fern, prince-of-wales fern, rabbit's-foot fern, rasp fern, rattlesnake fern, resurrection fern, ribbon fern, royal fern, sago fern, scale fern, scaly fern, scented fern, sea fern, seed fern, sensitive fern, serpent fern, shield fern, shuttlecock fern, silver fern, silver tree fern, skeleton fork fern, smooth lip fern, snake fern, snuffbox fern, soft shield fern, soft tree fern, southern beech fern, southwestern lip fern, spider fern, squirrel's-foot fern, stag-horn fern, staghorn fern, strap fern, sweet fern, sword fern, ten-day fern, tongue fern, toothed sword fern, tree fern, umbrella fern, venus'-hair fern, virginia chain fern, walking fern, wall fern, water fern, western holly fern, whisk fern, winter fern, wood fern, wooly lip fern