any fern of the cosmopolitan genus Adiantum, esp A. capillis-veneris, having delicate fan-shaped fronds with small pale-green leaflets: family Adiantaceae
Word origin
C15: so called from the hairlike appearance of its fine fronds
Examples of 'maidenhair fern' in a sentence
maidenhair fern
A pretty fern that is quite different again is maidenhair fern.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
With their long stalks, they look like the fronds of the maidenhair fern.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Along rocky south-western coasts, especially in caves, maidenhair fern can still be seen.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A larger species of maidenhair fern is often grown in glasshouses and conservatories.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The name 'maidenhair' was given to them because the leaves somewhat resemble the leaflets of the maidenhair fern.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The ginkgo is also called the maidenhair tree, and gets this name from the resemblance of the leaves to the fronds of the maidenhair fern.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Lacy maidenhair ferns fiddle around close to the stems of terrifying arisaemas.