Cereal plant whisker
An awn is a bristle-like extension projecting from the tip or back of a grain or grass seed—the sharp, hair-like point on a wheat kernel or barley husk.
Awns help seeds disperse by catching wind or fur, and can work their way into soil as they absorb and release moisture.
The awns on wild oats make them cling to clothing.
IDEA.org / Words / awn
Cereal plant whisker
An awn is a bristle-like extension projecting from the tip or back of a grain or grass seed—the sharp, hair-like point on a wheat kernel or barley husk.
Awns help seeds disperse by catching wind or fur, and can work their way into soil as they absorb and release moisture.
The awns on wild oats make them cling to clothing.
1. bristle — barb, Backward-pointing spike; beard (Facial hair growth); spikelet (Grass flower unit); lemma (Base form, or helper theorem); floret · inflorescence · chaff · husk · stiff · sharp · pointed · prickly · serrated · rough
2. grass — bentgrass, Fine-bladed turf species; fescue (Fine-bladed pasture grass); bluegrass (Acoustic Appalachian folk music); ryegrass (Hardy turf species); needlegrass · wild oats · foxtail · speargrass · cereal · wheat · barley · rye · oats · straw
PLANT STRUCTURE COMPONENTawn ≠ kernel Seed or essential core; grain · seed · endosperm · germ · groat
awnings, awns, awned, awnless
Word data: Linguabase (CC0) · www.idea.org/words/awn