Definition of HEATH

heath

Plural: heaths

Noun

  • a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers
  • a tract of level wasteland; uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation
  • A tract of level uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation; heathland.
  • Any small evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae.
  • in Erica spp.
  • Any small evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae.
  • in Cassiope spp.
  • Any small evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae.
  • in Daboecia spp.
  • Any small evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae.
  • in Epacris spp. (Australian heath)
  • Any small evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae.
  • in Leucopogon spp. (beard heath)
  • Any small evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae.
  • in Phyllodoce spp. (mountain heath)
  • Any small evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae.
  • Any butterfly or moth of species:
  • Coenonympha spp., a genus of brush-footed butterfly, of the palaearctic.
  • Coenonympha pamphilus, native to Europe, Asia except tropical India and Indochina, and Northern Africa, the small heath
  • Any butterfly or moth of species:
  • Coenonympha spp., a genus of brush-footed butterfly, of the palaearctic.
  • Coenonympha tullia, native to Europe, Asia except tropical India and Indochina, and North America, the large heath
  • Any butterfly or moth of species:
  • Melitaea athalia (heath fritillary)
  • Any butterfly or moth of species:
  • Semiothisa clathrata (latticed heath)
  • Any butterfly or moth of species:
  • Ematurga atomaria (common heath)

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English heeth, heth, hethe, from Old English hǣþ (“heath, untilled land, waste; heather”), from Proto-West Germanic *haiþi, from Proto-Germanic *haiþī (“heath, waste, untilled land”), from Proto-Indo-European *kayt- (“forest, wasteland, pasture”).
Cognate with Dutch heide (“heath, moorland”), German Heide (“heath, moor”), Norwegian hei (“heath”), Swedish hed (“heath, moorland”), Old Welsh coit (“forest”), Welsh coed (“forest”), Latin būcētum (“pastureland”, literally “cow-pasture”) -cetum (“place of, grove of”).

Synonyms

heather, heathland

Scrabble Score: 11

heath is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
heath is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
heath is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

heath is a valid Words With Friends word