Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
ostrich fern

ostrich fern

1 7.4
A tall fern with large curved leaves that look like ostrich feathers
  • noun
  • /ˈɑstrɪtʃ fɜrn/
translation icon : helecho avestruz
  • You can identify the ostrich fern by its tall, plume-like spore-bearing structures.

Examples

  • The ostrich fern has beautiful, arching fronds that resemble feathers.

  • I love ostrich ferns, and my garden is full of them, too.

    Blog text (6)

  • I love the ostrich ferns.

    Blog text (6)

  • I'm so envious of your ability to grow things like ostrich ferns; I could never keep them alive here.

    Blog text (6)

  • I like the idea of the spikenard and serviceberry, and I love those ostrich ferns.

    Blog text (6)

  • I am a huge fan of ostrich fern (I know it more as shuttlecock fern) and am still contemplating where to add one or some...

    Blog text (6)

  • In my garden, the ostrich fern thrives in the shaded area beneath the trees.

Synonyms

shuttlecock fern
vsostrich fern
  • UK
1 9.9

A tall fern with long arching leaves that look like a feather

is the general descriptive name for the same species
Matteuccia struthiopteris
vsostrich fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall fern with arching feathery leaves that look like ostrich plumes

is the common name used more broadly for that same plant
Onoclea struthiopteris
vsostrich fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall fern with long, arching feathery leaves like ostrich feathers that grows in damp cool woods

is the everyday plant name rather than the formal species label
Pteretis struthiopteris
vsostrich fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall fern with long curved leaves that look like ostrich feathers

is the modern common name used widely instead of older scientific labels
Matteuccia
vsostrich fern
  • Specialized
9.9

A small group of ferns called ostrich ferns that lose their leaves in winter

is the specific common name for the single species within that genus

Surface Forms

ostrich fern singular
ostrich ferns plural

Morphology

ostrich + fern

The compound is compositional: 'ostrich' modifies 'fern' to signal a fern whose fronds resemble ostrich plumes. A B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer it denotes a type of fern with large, plume-like fronds, and this naming pattern is cross-linguistically common, so the meaning is immediately derivable.

Etymology

Ostrich fern may come from the plant's long, arching leaves that look like the big 'feathers' of an ostrich, creating a fan of soft greenery. That's why people called this fern after the bird and why the name refers to this tall, feathery plant today.