fid·dle·head

(fĭd′l-hĕd′)

1. A curved, scroll-like ornament at the top of a ship's bow resembling that on the head of a violin.

2. The young, coiled, edible frond of any of various ferns. Also called crosier.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fiddlehead

(ˈfɪdəlˌhɛd) or

fiddleneck

1. (Nautical Terms) nautical an ornamental carving, in the shape of the scroll at the head end of a fiddle, fitted to the top of the stem or cutwater

2. (Botany) US and Canadian the edible coiled tip of a young fern frond

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fid•dle•head

(ˈfɪd lˌhɛd)

n.

the young coiled frond of a fern.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	fiddlehead - tall fern of northern temperate regions having graceful arched fronds and sporophylls resembling ostrich plumes Matteuccia struthiopteris, Onoclea struthiopteris, ostrich fern, Pteretis struthiopteris, shuttlecock fern fern - any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores genus Matteuccia, genus Pteretis, Matteuccia, Pteretis - small genus sometimes included in genus Onoclea; in some classifications both genera are placed in Polypodiaceae
	2.	fiddlehead - New World fern having woolly cinnamon-colored spore-bearing fronds in early spring later surrounded by green fronds; the early uncurling fronds are edible cinnamon fern, fiddlehead fern, Osmunda cinnamonea osmund, flowering fern - any fern of the genus Osmunda: large ferns with creeping rhizomes; naked sporangia are on modified fronds that resemble flower clusters

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References in periodicals archive

Almost everyone has heard of "fiddlehead ferns," a gourmet wild vegetable found across much of North America in the springtime.

Fern fiddleheads: the succulent stalks of spring

Lea Harper's work has been published in The Fiddlehead, This Magazine, The Phoenix, LIghtwaves, Dimensions and Pro as well as Freshness of The Ancient, India, New Hope International, U.K.

Crossover

The salad was made with banana heart, straw mushroom and pako (fern fiddlehead) dressed with a pomelo vinaigrette.

An abundance of Spanish and Filipino fare amid this year's Madrid Fusion Manila

A celebration of the fiddlehead fern season and summer music in the mountains, this family-oriented outdoors event features live music, local arts and crafts booths, beer and wine garden, cooking demos, 5K Fun Run, kid's activities, and more.

Events calendar June 2016

Her poetry hasappeared or is forthcoming in the Fiddlehead, the Antigonish Review, and the anthology I found it at the Movies (Guernica Editions).

Gripped

Canadian Literature and The Fiddlehead. His writing has been shortlisted

The Angels of Winter

Uniquely oriented from west to east, the Santa Rita Hills--a cool subappellation of the Santa Ynez Valley--produces beautifully structured Pinots, including Sanford, Melville, Fiddlehead, and Sea Smoke.

Sunset's western wine awards 2006: the best bottles, winemakers, and places to discover this year

Fiddlehead ferns are a spring delicacy for many foragers.

Is it spring yet?

Thus, mountain villagers are not particularly proud of their tungsoy (watercress)-and neither do the lowlanders hold their pako (fiddlehead fern) in high regard.

Going organic

TIM PRIOR is a Toronto teacher and poet whose poetry has appeared in a variety of Canadian literary journals, including the Antigonish Review, Canadian Literature, CV2, Event, the Fiddlehead, Grain, Literary Review of Canada, and Queen's Quarterly.

Cold

Antigonish Review, Contemporary Verse 2 and Fiddlehead. Her play, After

Zola, bravest of Leonardo's apprentices, leaps from the tower of San Francesco, wearing his master's wings