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Glite Dictionary
fiddlehead fern

fiddlehead fern

1 7.4
Young curled fern leaves that people eat in spring
  • noun
  • /ˈfɪdəlˌhɛd fɜrn/
  • US
translation icon : helecho girofle
  • mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns
  • fiddlehead ferns and dandelion
  • wild mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns

Examples

  • Last spring he had showed Mike the fiddlehead ferns.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • We also have homemade cavatelli with chanterelles and fiddlehead ferns.

    Nightbitch (2024)

  • In early spring, many people gather fiddlehead ferns to prepare tasty salads.

  • Grilled chicken with sautéed fiddlehead ferns is a popular dish in seasonal cuisine.

  • When foraging in the woods, I found a patch of fiddlehead ferns that looked delicious.

Synonyms

fiddlehead
vsfiddlehead fern
  • US
1 8.9

The young curled top of a fern that is eaten as a vegetable

describes the whole plant that produces the young coiled fronds

Surface Forms

fiddlehead fern singular
fiddlehead ferns plural

Morphology

fiddlehead + fern

The compound is fully compositional: 'fiddlehead' (a young, coiled frond) combined with 'fern' (the plant) yields the straightforward meaning 'the young frond of a fern.' This noun+noun formation follows a common compounding pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The name fiddlehead fern comes from the plant's young curled shoots called fiddleheads, which look like the head of a 'fiddle'. People pick these small, rolled fiddleheads in spring to eat, so the name points to the 'edible' young shoots.