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fyn·bos

(fānbŏs′)

An area at the tip of southern Africa that is covered by a growth of evergreen shrubs, especially of the families Proteaceae and Ericaceae. It is characterized by nutrient-poor soil, frequent fires, high species diversity, and a large number of endemic species.

[Afrikaans, scrubland having no trees with thick trunks : fyn, slender, gracile (from Middle Dutch fijn, from Old French fin; see FINE¹) + bos, woods, forest, bush land (from Middle Dutch bosch; akin to Middle English bush; see BUSH).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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