Gorse
/ɡɔːrs/noun
A spiny evergreen shrub of the pea family with bright yellow flowers.
Did you know?Gorse’s name is ancient and likely tied to a Proto-Germanic root meaning something prickly or rough, which fits a plant so thorny it was once used as living fencing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*gurstaz
“rough, prickly growth”
Old English
OE
gors
“grass, herbage, or coarse vegetation”
Middle English
ME
gorse
“coarse grass or rough herbage”
Modern English
English
gorse
“a spiny shrub with yellow flowers”