What does awn mean?

Definitions for awn
ɔnawn

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word awn.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. awnnoun

    slender bristlelike appendage found on the bracts of grasses

Wiktionary

  1. awnnoun

    The bristle or beard of barley, oats, grasses, etc., or any similar bristlelike appendage; arista.

  2. Etymology: aw(u)ne, agune, agene, from Old Danish aghn (compare modern avne), from aganō 'chaff' (compare ægnan, Frisian/Dutch agen, German Ahne, Agen), from aḱanā (compare Old Latin agna 'ear of wheat', Lithuanian asnis, Czech osina, Ancient Greek ἄκαινα, ἄκανος, Sanskrit अशनि, from h₂eḱ. More at edge.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Awnnoun

    The beard growing out of the corn or grass. Ephraim Chambers

    Etymology: arista, Lat.

ChatGPT

  1. awn

    An awn is a slender, often bristle-like extension or appendage found in plant species, mainly grasses, serving to increase the plant's dispersion capacity. These awns can lengthen during maturation and can have features such as barbs or hooks, which enable them to dig into the soil or attach to fur or feathers of animals.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Awnnoun

    the bristle or beard of barley, oats, grasses, etc., or any similar bristlelike appendage; arista

  2. Etymology: [OE. awn, agune, from Icel. gn, pl. agnir; akin to Sw. agn, Dan. avne, Goth. ahana, OHG. agana, G. agen, ahne, chaff, Gr. 'a`chnh, AS. egla; prob. from same root as E. acute. See 3d Ear. 1.]

Wikidata

  1. Awn

    In botany, an awn is either a hair- or bristle-like appendage on a larger structure, or in the case of the Asteraceae, a stiff needle-like element of the pappus. Awns are characteristic of many grasses, where they extend from the lemmas of the florets. This often makes the hairy appearance of the grass synfloresce. Awns may be long or short, straight or curved, single or multiple per floret. Some genera are named after their awns, such as the three-awns. In some species, the awns can contribute significantly to photosynthesis, as in, for example barley. The awns of wild emmer wheat spikelets effectively self-cultivate by propelling themselves mechanically into soils. During a period of increased humidity during the night, the awns of the spikelet become erect and draw together, and in the process push the grain into the soil. During the daytime the humidity drops and the awns slacken back again; however, fine silica hairs on the awns act as hooks in the soil and prevent the spikelets from reversing back out again. During the course of alternating stages of daytime and nighttime humidity, the awns' pumping movements, which resemble a swimming frog kick, drill the spikelet as much as an inch into the soil.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Awn

    awn, n. a scale or husk: beard of corn or grass.—adjs. Awned; Awn′less; Awn′y. [Ice. ögn; Ger. ahne.]

Suggested Resources

  1. AWN

    What does AWN stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the AWN acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

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Anagrams for awn »

  1. wan

  2. WAN

  3. NWA

  4. naw

How to pronounce awn?

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of awn in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of awn in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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    pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
    A squashy
    B cosmopolitan
    C handsome
    D hatched

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