Hypertext Webster Gateway: "heath"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Heath
Heb. 'arar, (Jer. 17:6; 48:6), a species of juniper called by
the Arabs by the same name ('arar), the Juniperus sabina or
savin. "Its gloomy, stunted appearance, with its scale-like
leaves pressed close to its gnarled stem, and cropped close by
the wild goats, as it clings to the rocks about Petra, gives
great force to the contrast suggested by the prophet, between
him that trusteth in man, naked and destitute, and the man that
trusteth in the Lord, flourishing as a tree planted by the
waters" (Tristram, Natural History of the Bible).
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Heath \Heath\, n. [OE. heth waste land, the plant heath, AS.
h??; akin to D. & G. heide, Icel. hei?r waste land, Dan.
hede, Sw. hed, Goth. haipi field, L. bucetum a cow pasture;
cf. W. coed a wood, Skr. ksh?tra field. [root]20.]
1. (Bot.)
(a) A low shrub ({Erica, or Calluna, vulgaris}), with
minute evergreen leaves, and handsome clusters of pink
flowers. It is used in Great Britain for brooms,
thatch, beds for the poor, and for heating ovens. It
is also called {heather}, and {ling}.
(b) Also, any species of the genus {Erica}, of which
several are European, and many more are South African,
some of great beauty. See Illust. of {Heather}.
2. A place overgrown with heath; any cheerless tract of
country overgrown with shrubs or coarse herbage.
Their stately growth, though bare, Stands on the
blasted heath. --Milton
{Heath cock} (Zo["o]l.), the blackcock. See {Heath grouse}
(below).
{Heath grass} (Bot.), a kind of perennial grass, of the genus
{Triodia} ({T. decumbens}), growing on dry heaths.
{Heath grouse}, or {Heath game} (Zo["o]l.), a European grouse
({Tetrao tetrix}), which inhabits heats; -- called also
{black game}, {black grouse}, {heath poult}, {heath fowl},
{moor fowl}. The male is called, {heath cock}, and
{blackcock}; the female, {heath hen}, and {gray hen}.
{Heath hen}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Heath grouse} (above).
{Heath pea} (bot.), a species of bitter vetch ({Lathyris
macrorhizus}), the tubers of which are eaten, and in
Scotland are used to flavor whisky.
{Heath throstle} (Zo["o]l.), a European thrush which
frequents heaths; the ring ouzel.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
heath
n 1: a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small
bell-shaped pink or purple flowers
2: (British) a tract of level wasteland; uncultivated land with
sandy soil and scrubby vegetation [syn: {heathland}]
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