# gorse

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɡɔɹs/ · frequency rank #62,929

## Definitions
1. An evergreen shrub, of the genus Ulex, having thorns, spiny leaves, and yellow flowers.

## Etymology
From Middle English gorst, gors, from Old English gors, gorst, from Proto-West Germanic *gorst, from Proto-Germanic *gurstaz or Proto-West Germanic *gerstu (“barley”).
Akin to German Gerste (“barley”) and Latin hordeum (“barley”). Also compare Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- (“to bristle”), whence Proto-Celtic *garwos.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gorse