Hedges

Rows of bushes or shrubs planted close together to create a boundary or barrier. Can also mean ways of avoiding a direct answer or commitment. Plural of 'hedge.'

From Old English 'hecg,' possibly related to Germanic words meaning 'to enclose.' The plant-related meaning dates back to Anglo-Saxon times when hedges were the primary way to mark property lines. The figurative meaning 'to avoid commitment' developed in the 1500s, from the idea that a hedge is a boundary that keeps you from moving forward decisively.