fernlike

1 6.3

Having leaves that are thin and divided, like a fern

adjective
/ˈfɜrnˌlaɪk/

: similar a un helecho

If you've ever passed an asparagus field, you've probably wondered how those wispy, fernlike plants could produce the firm, tall stalks.
fernlike leaves
fernlike plants

Examples

The stars had disappeared and the sky had lightened, and I could see the skinny, fernlike locust trees that lined the driveway.

Fiction book (1991)
The elegant limbs, festooned with weeping fernlike leaves divided into many glossy leaflets, created the illusion that her apartment was a tree house.
A planted carrot-top on a windowsill instantly becomes a fernlike growth, surprisingly attractive for so humble a thing.

Synonyms

ferny

vsfernlike

1 6.1

Having shapes or patterns like many thin divided leaves

is the more general term for that leaf shape and arrangement

featherlike

vsfernlike

1 3.4

Light and soft like a bird's wing

refers to leaf shape and arrangement rather than plume-like feel

fronded

vsfernlike

Specialized

1 6.9

A plant that has long divided leaves like a fern or palm

covers that look but also applies to other broad leaf forms

fernleaf

vsfernlike

1 5.3

Having thin, divided leaves that look like a fern

focuses specifically on the leaves rather than whole plant arrangement

How Ferny

ferned

1 8.5

ferny

1 6.1

fernlike

1 6.3

fernless

8.3

Surface Forms

fernlike positive

Morphology

fernlike = fern (transparent) = fern + like

Formed by the productive adjective-forming suffix '-like' meaning 'resembling', so the meaning is directly derivable from 'fern'.

Etymology

Fernlike comes from the plant fern and the ending -like, which means 'similar to'. So fernlike describes something that 'looks like' a fern, especially in the shape or pattern of its leaves.