heathland

IPA/ˈhiːθlənd/
IPA/ˈhiːθlænd/

heathland — noun

  • heathlandsingular
  • heathlandsplural

1. a wide area of wild, open countryside with poor, sandy soil, where low bushes, r

1.nounB2
Definition

a wide area of wild, open countryside with poor, sandy soil, where low bushes, rough grasses, and plants that tolerate dry conditions — such as heather and gorse — grow naturally, without crops or many trees

Example

Ayana and her father hiked the heathland one morning, following a path through the heather.

hike + across + heathland (hike the heathland)

Parts of English heathland were lost to farming and tree-planting over the past century.

passive: were lost to [cause]

Common collocations
  • heathland landscape
  • heathland habitat
  • heathland area
  • heathland walk
  • heathland vegetation
Synonyms
  • heath

    narrower in meaning; heath is the traditional British term for this landscape, while heathland is a more general or descriptive version

  • moorland

    refers to a wetter, hillier type of open countryside, common in northern England and Scotland, often with peat bogs rather than sandy soil

  • scrubland

    a broader term for any area of stunted bushes and rough vegetation, not limited to sandy or temperate climates

Antonyms
  • farmland

    cultivated land used for growing crops or keeping animals, the opposite of wild, uncultivated heathland

  • forest

    dense tree-covered land, contrasting with the open, treeless character of heathland

Usage Note

Frequently occurs in British English geographic descriptions. Unlike 'moor' or 'moorland', which suggest a wetter, northern climate, heathland typically describes drier, lowland areas with sandy soils.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Heath, heathland, moorland, and scrubland all describe types of wild, uncultivated land, but they differ in climate, soil, and region. Heath is the traditional British term — it calls to mind the classic landscapes of southern England, often with heather and gorse on sandy soil. Heathland is a slightly more general or descriptive version of the same idea, useful when you want to avoid the older, more poetic feel of heath. Moorland refers to a wetter, hillier landscape typical of northern England and Scotland, with peat bogs and grasses rather than dry sandy soil. Scrubland is the broadest term — it can apply to dry regions anywhere in the world where stunted bushes and tough grasses dominate, from Australia to California. For example, you might say 'the heathland of the New Forest' but 'the moorland of the Yorkshire Dales' and 'the scrubland of the Australian outback.'

heath ↗moorland ↗scrubland ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • heathland landscape
  • heathland area
  • heathland habitat
  • heathland walk

Phrases

  • areas of heathland
  • stretches of heathland
  • heathland and woodland

Prepositions

  • across the heathland
  • on the heathland
  • in the heathland

Etymology

Old EnglishModern English

Heathland is a compound of heath (from Old English hǣþ, meaning an area of wild, untilled land with poor soil and low shrubs) and land (from Old English land, meaning ground or territory). The word has been used since the 18th century to describe the open, shrub-covered landscapes common in parts of southern Britain.

First known use

1819

1819, in the meaning defined above