bush
bush
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "bush" is /bʊʃ/.
Here's a breakdown of the sounds by syllable:
/bʊʃ/ - /b/ (as in "bat"), /ʊ/ (as in "put"), /ʃ/ (as in "ship")
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: bush
Plural Noun: bushes
Verb (base form): bush
Verb (third-person singular present): bushes
Verb (present participle): bushing
Verb (past tense/past participle): bushed
Adjective: bushy (derived from bush, describing something full of bushes or resembling a bush)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A dense, woody plant, smaller than a tree, characterized by multiple stems branching from or near the ground. Often refers to a compact, rounded shrub.
Synonyms: shrub, thicket, briar, coppice
Antonyms: tree, open space
Definition 2 (Informal/Slang, often capitalized as "the Bush"): Expansive, uncleared land, typically far from human habitation and characterized by dense, wild vegetation; wilderness. This usage is particularly common in Australia and South Africa.
Synonyms: wilderness, outback, wilds, frontier
Antonyms: city, civilization, urban area
Verb
Definition 1 (Transitive): To cover, surround, or provide with bushes.
Synonyms: embed, encircle, fringe, line
Antonyms: clear, remove, expose
Definition 2 (Intransitive, often used with "out" or "up"): To grow or spread thickly and densely, similar to how a bush grows.
Synonyms: sprout, proliferate, thicken, ramify
Antonyms: thin, recede, shrink
Adjective (derived form: "bushy")
Definition 1: Resembling a bush in form or density; thick and unruly.
Synonyms: dense, shaggy, luxuriant, overgrown
Antonyms: sparse, thin, neat, trimmed
Examples of Use
Books:
"Every branch, every twig, every bush seemed to be on fire, glowing with an inner light that was both beautiful and terrifying." (From The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien)
"He had wandered through the bush for days, living off the land, until he stumbled upon the remote settlement." (Referring to the Australian wilderness, from The Secret River by Kate Grenville, October 2005)
Newspapers:
"Local firefighters battled a series of bush fires in the region, exacerbated by dry conditions." (The Sydney Morning Herald)
"Conservation efforts are focused on protecting native plant species in the local bush, including several rare orchids." (The East African)
Online Publications:
"The prime minister is facing increasing pressure from within his own bush-league party, as new policies spark dissent." (Referring to a less-than-professional or minor league, from Politico)
"New research suggests that a particular type of hardy bush could be crucial for rehabilitating degraded farmlands." (Mongabay Environmental News)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Television Series: In an episode of The Mandalorian, the character often hides or tracks targets through dense bush and alien foliage. (Disney+, Season 3, March 2023)
Music: The lyrics "There's a bush in the garden, a place to hide" from a children's song. (Traditional nursery rhyme)
Video Games: In Red Dead Redemption 2, players can often "hide in the bush" to evade enemies or ambush targets. (Rockstar Games, October 2018)
Podcast: "We discussed the challenges of venturing deep into the bush for wildlife photography, including encounters with dangerous animals." (National Geographic's Overheard Podcast, August 2022)
General Public Discourse:
"The kids were playing hide-and-seek, and my son was convinced he could disappear completely behind that rose bush." (Everyday conversation)
"After a long week, I'm going to spend the weekend clearing out some of the overgrown bush in the backyard." (Casual conversation)
"He's been out in the bush for a month, doing field research on indigenous plant life." (Referring to wilderness, common among researchers)
10 Quotes Using Bush
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." (Proverb)
"If you can’t get them into the bush, then you’ve got to get them into the kitchen." (Referring to hunting, attributed to Bob Munden)
"There is nothing more beautiful than the bush on fire, but there is nothing more terrifying than the bush on fire." (Aboriginal saying, widely quoted)
"They call it the outback. They call it the bush. They call it God’s country. They call it all sorts of things." (From Crocodile Dundee, 1986)
"I came out of the bush and everything I saw was a lie." (Attributed to an anonymous Vietnam War veteran)
"You want to know where my heart is? It's in the bush." (Pat Farmer, Australian ultrarunner)
"Don't beat about the bush." (Idiom)
"My father used to say, 'If you're going to get into the bush, you better be prepared for the thorns.'" (Attributed to various sources)
"He was as wild as a bush horse." (From The Man from Snowy River by A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson, 1890)
"The bush has eyes." (African proverb)
Etymology
The word "bush" has a long history, going back to Old English!
Its roots are in the Old English word "busċ" (sometimes written as "bysċ"), which meant something like "copse," "grove," or "scrub," basically referring to a patch of woody plants. This Old English word itself came from an even older source, a Proto-Germanic word "buskaz" meaning "bush" or "thicket." It's believed that this Proto-Germanic word might ultimately trace back to a very ancient *Proto-Indo-European root "bʰuH-", which meant "to grow." So, at its core, "bush" is linked to the idea of something growing densely.
The first known uses of "bush" in English date back to the Middle English period (around 1150-1500 AD), with evidence from about 1250 AD. At that time, it was used to describe an area of land with a dense growth of low vegetation, small trees, or a thicket. Over time, it also came to mean a single, multi-stemmed woody plant, smaller than a tree – which is the most common meaning we use today.
Interestingly, the word "bush" also has connections to other European languages. For example, the French word "bois" (meaning "wood" or "forest") and the Italian "bosco" (meaning "woodland") are thought to have been borrowed from the same Germanic root that gave us "bush." This shows how words and their meanings can spread and evolve across different languages.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Bush
Beat around the bush: To avoid coming to the point; to discuss a matter without coming to the main issue.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush: It's better to hold onto something you have than to risk it by trying to get something better that you might not get.
Bush league: Used to describe something that is of low quality or amateurish.
The bush telegraph: An informal network for spreading news or rumors, especially in remote or rural areas.
Take to the bush: To go into hiding, often in a rural or wild area, especially to avoid capture.
Go bush: To live in or travel through the wilderness; to leave urban areas for remote ones. (Common in Australia)
Bush fire: A rapidly spreading fire in dry bushland or grassland.
Bush lawyer: Someone who offers legal advice or argues a point of law without proper legal training or authority.
Bush meat: The meat of wild animals hunted for food, typically in forests or rural areas.
Bush pilot: A pilot who flies small aircraft in remote or wilderness areas, often without developed landing strips.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of bush from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
