fern
n. countable B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈfɝn// UK //fˈɜːn// fern
n. a green plant with long, feathery leaves that does not produce flowers or seeds.
n. a flowerless vascular plant that reproduces via spores and typically possesses feathery or highly divided fronds.
The forest floor was covered in green ferns.
Because they thrive in damp and shaded areas, ferns are popular choices for indoor hanging baskets.
The fossil record indicates that ferns were among the dominant terrestrial plant groups during the Carboniferous period, long before the evolution of flowering species.
From fern; in the case of the surname, it was given to someone who lived in a place where there was an abundance of these plants.