prickly shield fern prick·lys·hield·fern uncommon noun 1. North American fern whose more or less evergreen leathery fronds are covered with pale brown chafflike scales SynonymsBraun's holly fernprickly shield fernPolystichum braunii Related words Broader terms holly fern WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.
