heath

Everyday

A heath is a large area of open, wild land with poor soil, covered with low plants like heather, gorse and grasses, and few trees. tree →

In the lessons

In geography and nature lessons, heaths are a habitat for special plants, insects, lizards, snakes and birds; they are common in the UK and Ireland and can catch fire easily in dry summers. In old stories and Shakespeare, a heath is a lonely, windy place where travellers meet strange things. Many places are named Heath, like Hampstead Heath in London.

Examples

• We walked across the heath where purple heather grew. tree →
• Lizards bask in the sun on the heath. tree →
• In dry weather, a campfire can start a fire on the heath. tree →
• The wind blew hard across the open heath. tree →
• In the story, the travellers met three witches on a lonely heath. tree →
• Hampstead Heath is a big park in London. tree →
• So they continued their journey across the rugged heath. tree →

Note

Countable: heaths. Similar to a «moor», which is higher and often wetter. Do not confuse with «health» (being well) or «heat». Heather is the plant that grows on heaths.