Shrubland
/ˈʃrʌb.lænd/noun
Land covered mainly with shrubs and low woody plants.
Did you know?The first element, *shrub*, traces back to Old English *scrybb* and ultimately to a Germanic root for rough, bushy growth, while *land* comes from the ancient word for ground or territory — a plain, earthly name for a place that resists becoming a forest.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skrub- / *skrubjaz
“Rough, bushy vegetation; scrubby growth”
Old English
OE
scrybb
“Shrub, bush, or brushwood”
Middle English
ME
shrubbe
“Bush or small woody plant”
Old English
OE
land
“Ground, soil, territory, country”
Modern English
English
shrubland
“An area dominated by shrubs and low woody plants”