different between fern vs firn

English

Etymology

From Middle English ferne, from Old English fearn, from Proto-West Germanic *farn, from Proto-Indo-European *pornóm (“feather, wing; fern, leaf”), from *p(t)erH- (“fern”). Cognate with West Frisian fear, Dutch varen, German Farn, Lithuanian spar?nas, Avestan ????????????????????????? (par^?na), Kamkata-viri por, Sanskrit ???? (par?á).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /f??n/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /f?n/
• Rhymes: -??(?)n

Noun

fern (plural ferns)

1. Any of a group of some twenty thousand species of vascular plants classified in the division Pteridophyta that lack seeds and reproduce by shedding spores to initiate an alternation of generations.

Synonyms

• (Pteridophyta): Filicophyta (archaic)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• bracken

Further reading

• fern on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• fren, fren', nerf

German

Etymology

From Old High German ferrana.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f??n/
• Rhymes: -??n

Adjective

fern (comparative ferner, superlative am fernsten)

1. remote
2. far away

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “fern” in Duden online
• “fern” in Duden online
• “fern” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Icelandic

Etymology

From the root fer-. Compare tvennur, þrennur.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f?rtn/
• Rhymes: -?rtn

Adjective

fern

1. four (used when counting singular nouns, pluralia tantum or groupings (especially pairs) of items, or when the item counted is missing from the sentence or separated by the preposition af (“of”))

   fernir skór – four pairs of shoes

   fernir tónleikar – four concerts (tónleikar is plurale tantum)

   Þetta má gera á fernan hátt. – This can be done in four ways. (háttur cannot be used in its plural form in this sense)

   Það er fernt sem mig vantar. – There are four [things] that I need. (noun omitted)

   Ég vil fá fernt af öllu. – I want four of everything.

Inflection

Derived terms

• ferna

Related terms

• fer-
• fjórir
• tvennur
• þrennur

Middle English

Alternative forms

• vern, fearn, farn, varn, firn

Etymology

From Old English fearn, from Proto-West Germanic *farn.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f??rn/, /f?rn/

Noun

fern (plural ferns)

1. fern

Descendants

• English: fern
• Scots: farne, fairn
• Yola: fearn

References

• “f??rn, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *wern? (compare Welsh gwern). Cognate with Old Armenian ????? (geran).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f?er?n?/

Noun

fern f (genitive fernae, nominative plural ferna)

1. alder
2. shield (made of alder wood)
3. pole, stake
4. the letter F

Inflection

Descendants

• Irish: fearn
  • ? Irish: fearnóg
• Manx: farney
• Scottish Gaelic: feàrna

Mutation

Old Saxon

Noun

fern m

1. Alternative form of infern

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Firn, from Alemannic German firn (“last year's”), from Old High German firni (“old”), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *firnijaz, *fernaz (“foregoing, previous”), from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“forth, forward, across, through”); cognate with Old English fyrn (“former”), Old Norse forn (“old”), and Gothic ???????????????????????????????? (fairneis, “old”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /f??n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /f??n/

Noun

firn (countable and uncountable, plural firns)

1. A type of old snow which has gone through multiple thaw and refreeze cycles and thus is made of numerous small icy grains, though it is not nearly as saturated with water as snow-cone slush is; can be hard or somewhat soft depending on recent and current weather conditions.

   Synonym: névé

Derived terms

• firnification

Translations

Further reading

• firn on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

Anagrams

• NIRF

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?f?rn]
• Hyphenation: firn

Noun

firn m inan

1. firn

Declension

Further reading

• firn in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• firn in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

German

Etymology

From Middle High German virne, from Old High German firni, from Proto-Germanic *fernaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?f??n]

Adjective

firn (comparative firner, superlative am firnsten)

1. (wine) aged

Declension

Related terms

• Firn
• Firne

Further reading

• “firn” in Duden online
• “firn” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “firn” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.

Slovak

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [firn]

Noun

firn m (genitive singular firnu, nominative plural firny, genitive plural firnov, declension pattern of dub)

1. firn

Declension

References

• firn in Slovak dictionaries at slovnik.juls.savba.sk