hedge
n. countablen. a row of bushes or small trees planted close together to act as a fence. You use it to mark the edge of a garden or field.
n. a fence or boundary formed by a dense row of shrubs or low trees. Often used metaphorically to describe a protection against financial loss or a linguistic strategy to avoid over-commitment.
The gardener trims the hedge every summer.
A tall green hedge separates our backyard from the busy street outside.
The estate was bordered by an ancient hawthorn hedge that had grown so thick it served as an impenetrable natural barrier for centuries.
From Middle English hegge, from Old English heċġ, from Proto-West Germanic haggju, from Proto-Germanic hagjō, from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰyóm (“enclosure”). Cognate with Dutch heg, German Hecke. Doublet of hey (a choreographic figure) and quay. More at haw.
Inherited from Middle English heggen, from the noun (see above).
Commonly used in the phrase 'hedge against' when referring to financial protection or risk management.