whin1
/wɪn
/noun [mass noun] chiefly Northern English
Furze; gorse.So she is understandably dismissive of the dismal gorse and whin on view outside the living room window of her Council house....
- A land where plastic shamrocks are rare, whin bushes are plentiful and the green isn't made in Taiwan.
- Beyond that, weed draped on fence wire and whin bushes by the roadside, marked a Princess.
Origin
Late Middle English: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare with Swedish ven 'bent grass'.
Rhymes
whin2
/wɪn/(also whinstone)
noun [mass noun] British
Hard, dark basaltic rock such as that of the Whin Sill in Northern England.They are comprised primarily of a rock called whinstone, which is very prone to vertical weathering and faulting....
- Built from whinstone, with a slate roof, the pedimented front door is a particularly handsome feature.
- The northwards path along a rocky coastline takes you to Dunstanburgh Castle, a romantic ruin where kittiwakes, cormorants and fulmars nest on whinstone cliffs.
Origin
Middle English: of unknown origin.