Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Fern \Fern\, n. [AS. fearn; akin to D. varen, G. farn,
   farnkraut; cf. Skr. par[.n]a wing, feather, leaf, sort of
   plant, or Lith. papartis fern.] (Bot.)
   An order of cryptogamous plants, the {Filices}, which have
   their fructification on the back of the fronds or leaves.
   They are usually found in humid soil, sometimes grow
   epiphytically on trees, and in tropical climates often attain
   a gigantic size.

   Note: The plants are asexual, and bear clustered sporangia,
         containing minute spores, which germinate and form
         prothalli, on which are borne the true organs of
         reproduction. The brake or bracken, the maidenhair, and
         the polypody are all well known ferns.

   {Christmas fern}. See under {Christmas}.

   {Climbing fern} (Bot.), a delicate North American fern
      ({Lygodium palmatum}), which climbs several feet high over
      bushes, etc., and is much sought for purposes of
      decoration.

   {Fern owl}. (Zo["o]l.)
   (a) The European goatsucker.
   (b) The short-eared owl. [Prov. Eng.] -- {Fern shaw}, a fern
      thicket. [Eng.] --R. Browning.