gorse
noun
ˈgȯrs 
: a spiny yellow-flowered European shrub (Ulex europaeus) of the legume family
broadly : any of several related plants (genera Ulex and Genista)
gorsy
ˈgȯr-sē
adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Rich and fresh red fruit aromas—wild strawberries, country lane, some gorse and menthol and melted butter. 
Tom Mullen, Forbes, 22 May 2022 Rich, redolent, juicy aromas of cranberries and red cherries and a hint of gorse. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 22 May 2022 In spring these are swapped for narcissi, gold gorse and yellow fists of aeonium flowers which sprout up from the plant's purple rosettes. Kate Eshelby, CNN, 14 June 2021 Scotland’s landscape is wild and expansive: rugged islands, jagged mountains, moors covered in mustard-yellow gorse. Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 5 May 2021 The autumn sun gives the greens of the fields an impossible, mythic radiance and transforms the back roads into light-muddled paths where a goblin with a riddle, or a pretty maiden with a basket, could be waiting around every gorse-and-bramble bend. Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2020 The ordinance also required them to completely remove from their property all acacia, bamboo, thuja, juniper, Italian cypress, gorse and four types of broom. Kathleen Pender, SFChronicle.com, 23 Nov. 2019 Gin makers are especially savvy about leaning on local: Germany’s Woodland Sauerland Gin features locally sourced spruce and dandelion root while Method and Madness Irish Gin incorporates local Irish gorse flower. John Kell, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2019 After a walk through yellow gorse and purple heather, my wife reasonably suggested driving to a beach: After all, Ilsington is less than 15 miles from the English Channel as the crow flies. Peter Saenger, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2018 See More
Tom Mullen, Forbes, 22 May 2022 Rich, redolent, juicy aromas of cranberries and red cherries and a hint of gorse. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 22 May 2022 In spring these are swapped for narcissi, gold gorse and yellow fists of aeonium flowers which sprout up from the plant's purple rosettes. Kate Eshelby, CNN, 14 June 2021 Scotland’s landscape is wild and expansive: rugged islands, jagged mountains, moors covered in mustard-yellow gorse. Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 5 May 2021 The autumn sun gives the greens of the fields an impossible, mythic radiance and transforms the back roads into light-muddled paths where a goblin with a riddle, or a pretty maiden with a basket, could be waiting around every gorse-and-bramble bend. Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2020 The ordinance also required them to completely remove from their property all acacia, bamboo, thuja, juniper, Italian cypress, gorse and four types of broom. Kathleen Pender, SFChronicle.com, 23 Nov. 2019 Gin makers are especially savvy about leaning on local: Germany’s Woodland Sauerland Gin features locally sourced spruce and dandelion root while Method and Madness Irish Gin incorporates local Irish gorse flower. John Kell, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2019 After a walk through yellow gorse and purple heather, my wife reasonably suggested driving to a beach: After all, Ilsington is less than 15 miles from the English Channel as the crow flies. Peter Saenger, WSJ, 30 Oct. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English gorst, grost "gorse (Ulex europaeus), similar thorny shrubs, area overgrown with gorse," going back to Old English gorst "gorse, thorny shrub," probably going back to a zero-grade ablaut derivative of Germanic *gerstōn- "barley" — more at orgeat
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above