The Collaborative International Dictionary
Grass \Grass\, n. [OE. gras, gres, gers, AS, gr[ae]s, g[ae]rs; akin to OFries. gres, gers, OS., D., G., Icel., & Goth. gras, Dan. gr[ae]s, Sw. gr[aum]s, and prob. to E. green, grow. Cf. Graze.]
Popularly: Herbage; the plants which constitute the food of cattle and other beasts; pasture.
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(Bot.) An endogenous plant having simple leaves, a stem generally jointed and tubular, the husks or glumes in pairs, and the seed single.
Note: This definition includes wheat, rye, oats, barley, etc., and excludes clover and some other plants which are commonly called by the name of grass. The grasses form a numerous family of plants.
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The season of fresh grass; spring. [Colloq.]
Two years old next grass.
--Latham. -
Metaphorically used for what is transitory. Surely the people is grass. --Is. xl. 7. Note: The following list includes most of the grasses of the United States of special interest, except cereals. Many of these terms will be found with definitions in the Vocabulary. See Illustrations in Appendix. Barnyard grass, for hay. South. Panicum Grus-galli. Bent, pasture and hay. Agrostis, several species. Bermuda grass, pasture. South. Cynodon Dactylon. Black bent. Same as Switch grass (below). Blue bent, hay. North and West. Andropogon provincialis. Blue grass, pasture. Poa compressa. Blue joint, hay. Northwest. Aqropyrum glaucum. Buffalo grass, grazing. Rocky Mts., etc.
Buchlo["e] dectyloides.
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Same as Grama grass (below). Bunch grass, grazing. Far West. Eriocoma, Festuca, Stips, etc. Chess, or Cheat, a weed. Bromus secalinus, etc. Couch grass. Same as Quick grass (below). Crab grass,
Hay, in South. A weed, in North. Panicum sanguinale.
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Pasture and hay. South. Eleusine Indica. Darnel
Bearded, a noxious weed. Lolium temulentum.
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Common. Same as Rye grass (below). Drop seed, fair for forage and hay. Muhlenbergia, several species. English grass. Same as Redtop (below). Fowl meadow grass.
Pasture and hay. Poa serotina.
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Hay, on moist land. Gryceria nervata. Gama grass, cut fodder. South. Tripsacum dactyloides. Grama grass, grazing. West and Pacific slope. Bouteloua oligostachya, etc. Great bunch grass, pasture and hay. Far West. Festuca scabrella. Guinea grass, hay. South. Panicum jumentorum. Herd's grass, in New England Timothy, in Pennsylvania and South Redtop. Indian grass. Same as Wood grass (below). Italian rye grass, forage and hay. Lolium Italicum. Johnson grass, grazing and hay. South and Southwest. Sorghum Halepense. Kentucky blue grass, pasture. Poa pratensis. Lyme grass, coarse hay. South. Elymus, several species. Manna grass, pasture and hay. Glyceria, several species. Meadow fescue, pasture and hay. Festuca elatior. Meadow foxtail, pasture, hay, lawn. North. Alopecurus pratensis. Meadow grass, pasture, hay, lawn. Poa, several species. Mesquite grass, or Muskit grass. Same as Grama grass (above). Nimble Will, a kind of drop seed. Muhlenbergia diffsa. Orchard grass, pasture and hay. Dactylis glomerata. Porcupine grass, troublesome to sheep. Northwest. Stipa spartea. Quaking grass, ornamental. Briza media and maxima. Quitch, or Quick, grass, etc., a weed. Agropyrum repens. Ray grass. Same as Rye grass (below). Redtop, pasture and hay. Agrostis vulgaris. Red-topped buffalo grass, forage. Northwest. Poa tenuifolia. Reed canary grass, of slight value. Phalaris arundinacea. Reed meadow grass, hay. North. Glyceria aquatica. Ribbon grass, a striped leaved form of Reed canary grass. Rye grass, pasture, hay. Lolium perenne, var. Seneca grass, fragrant basket work, etc. North. Hierochloa borealis. Sesame grass. Same as Gama grass (above). Sheep's fescue, sheep pasture, native in Northern Europe and Asia. Festuca ovina. Small reed grass, meadow pasture and hay. North. Deyeuxia Canadensis. Spear grass, Same as Meadow grass (above). Squirrel-tail grass, troublesome to animals. Seacoast and Northwest. Hordeum jubatum. Switch grass, hay, cut young. Panicum virgatum. Timothy, cut young, the best of hay. North. Phleum pratense. Velvet grass, hay on poor soil. South. Holcus lanatus. Vernal grass, pasture, hay, lawn. Anthoxanthum odoratum. Wire grass, valuable in pastures. Poa compressa. Wood grass, Indian grass, hay. Chrysopogon nutans. Note: Many plants are popularly called grasses which are not true grasses botanically considered, such as black grass, goose grass, star grass, etc. Black grass, a kind of small rush ( Juncus Gerardi), growing in salt marshes, used for making salt hay. Grass of the Andes, an oat grass, the Arrhenatherum avenaceum of Europe. Grass of Parnassus, a plant of the genus Parnassia growing in wet ground. The European species is Parnassia palustris; in the United States there are several species. Grass bass (Zo["o]l.), the calico bass. Grass bird, the dunlin. Grass cloth, a cloth woven from the tough fibers of the grass-cloth plant. Grass-cloth plant, a perennial herb of the Nettle family ( B[oe]hmeria nivea syn. Urtica nivea), which grows in Sumatra, China, and Assam, whose inner bark has fine and strong fibers suited for textile purposes. Grass finch. (Zo["o]l.)
A common American sparrow ( Po["o]c[ae]tes gramineus); -- called also vesper sparrow and bay-winged bunting.
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Any Australian finch, of the genus Po["e]phila, of which several species are known. Grass lamb, a lamb suckled by a dam running on pasture land and giving rich milk. Grass land, land kept in grass and not tilled. Grass moth (Zo["o]l.), one of many small moths of the genus Crambus, found in grass. Grass oil, a fragrant essential volatile oil, obtained in India from grasses of the genus Andropogon, etc.; -- used in perfumery under the name of citronella, ginger grass oil, lemon grass oil, essence of verbena etc. Grass owl (Zo["o]l.), a South African owl ( Strix Capensis). Grass parrakeet (Zo["o]l.), any of several species of Australian parrots, of the genus Euphemia; -- also applied to the zebra parrakeet. Grass plover (Zo["o]l.), the upland or field plover. Grass poly (Bot.), a species of willowwort ( Lythrum Hyssopifolia). --Johnson. Crass quit (Zo["o]l.), one of several tropical American finches of the genus Euetheia. The males have most of the head and chest black and often marked with yellow. Grass snake. (Zo["o]l.)
The common English, or ringed, snake ( Tropidonotus natrix).
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The common green snake of the Northern United States. See Green snake, under Green. Grass snipe (Zo["o]l.), the pectoral sandpiper ( Tringa maculata); -- called also jacksnipe in America. Grass spider (Zo["o]l.), a common spider ( Agelena n[ae]via), which spins flat webs on grass, conspicuous when covered with dew. Grass sponge (Zo["o]l.), an inferior kind of commercial sponge from Florida and the Bahamas. Grass table. (Arch.) See Earth table, under Earth. Grass vetch (Bot.), a vetch ( Lathyrus Nissolia), with narrow grasslike leaves. Grass widow. [Cf. Prov. R. an unmarried mother, G. strohwittwe a mock widow, Sw. gr["a]senka a grass widow.]
An unmarried woman who is a mother. [Obs.]
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A woman separated from her husband by abandonment or prolonged absence; a woman living apart from her husband. [Slang.]
Grass wrack (Bot.) eelgrass.
To bring to grass (Mining.), to raise, as ore, to the surface of the ground.
To put to grass, To put out to grass, to put out to graze a season, as cattle.
Indian \In"di*an\ (?; 277), a. [From India, and this fr. Indus, the name of a river in Asia, L. Indus, Gr. ?, OPers. Hindu, name of the land on the Indus, Skr. sindhu river, the Indus. Cf. Hindu.]
Of or pertaining to India proper; also to the East Indies, or, sometimes, to the West Indies.
Of or pertaining to the aborigines, or Indians, of America; as, Indian wars; the Indian tomahawk.
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Made of maize or Indian corn; as, Indian corn, Indian meal, Indian bread, and the like. [U.S.] Indian bay (Bot.), a lauraceous tree ( Persea Indica). Indian bean (Bot.), a name of the catalpa. Indian berry. (Bot.) Same as Cocculus indicus. Indian bread. (Bot.) Same as Cassava. Indian club, a wooden club, which is swung by the hand for gymnastic exercise. Indian cordage, cordage made of the fibers of cocoanut husk. Indian cress (Bot.), nasturtium. See Nasturtium, 2. Indian cucumber (Bot.), a plant of the genus Medeola ( Medeola Virginica), a common in woods in the United States. The white rootstock has a taste like cucumbers. Indian currant (Bot.), a plant of the genus Symphoricarpus ( Symphoricarpus vulgaris), bearing small red berries. Indian dye, the puccoon. Indian fig. (Bot.)
The banyan. See Banyan.
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The prickly pear. Indian file, single file; arrangement of persons in a row following one after another, the usual way among Indians of traversing woods, especially when on the war path. Indian fire, a pyrotechnic composition of sulphur, niter, and realgar, burning with a brilliant white light. Indian grass (Bot.), a coarse, high grass ( Chrysopogon nutans), common in the southern portions of the United States; wood grass. --Gray. Indian hemp. (Bot.)
A plant of the genus Apocynum ( Apocynum cannabinum), having a milky juice, and a tough, fibrous bark, whence the name. The root it used in medicine and is both emetic and cathartic in properties.
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The variety of common hemp ( Cannabis Indica), from which hasheesh is obtained. Indian mallow (Bot.), the velvet leaf ( Abutilon Avicenn[ae]). See Abutilon. Indian meal, ground corn or maize. [U.S.] Indian millet (Bot.), a tall annual grass ( Sorghum vulgare), having many varieties, among which are broom corn, Guinea corn, durra, and the Chinese sugar cane. It is called also Guinea corn. See Durra. Indian ox (Zo["o]l.), the zebu. Indian paint. See Bloodroot. Indian paper. See India paper, under India. Indian physic (Bot.), a plant of two species of the genus Gillenia ( Gillenia trifoliata, and Gillenia stipulacea), common in the United States, the roots of which are used in medicine as a mild emetic; -- called also American ipecac, and bowman's root. --Gray. Indian pink. (Bot.)
The Cypress vine ( Ipom[oe]a Quamoclit); -- so called in the West Indies.
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See China pink, under China. Indian pipe (Bot.), a low, fleshy herb ( Monotropa uniflora), growing in clusters in dark woods, and having scalelike leaves, and a solitary nodding flower. The whole plant is waxy white, but turns black in drying. Indian plantain (Bot.), a name given to several species of the genus Cacalia, tall herbs with composite white flowers, common through the United States in rich woods. --Gray. Indian poke (Bot.), a plant usually known as the white hellebore ( Veratrum viride). Indian pudding, a pudding of which the chief ingredients are Indian meal, milk, and molasses. Indian purple.
A dull purple color.
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The pigment of the same name, intensely blue and black. Indian red.
A purplish red earth or pigment composed of a silicate of iron and alumina, with magnesia. It comes from the Persian Gulf. Called also Persian red.
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See Almagra. Indian rice (Bot.), a reedlike water grass. See Rice. Indian shot (Bot.), a plant of the genus Canna ( Canna Indica). The hard black seeds are as large as swan shot. See Canna. Indian summer, in the United States, a period of warm and pleasant weather occurring late in autumn. See under Summer. Indian tobacco (Bot.), a species of Lobelia. See Lobelia. Indian turnip (Bot.), an American plant of the genus Aris[ae]ma. Aris[ae]ma triphyllum has a wrinkled farinaceous root resembling a small turnip, but with a very acrid juice. See Jack in the Pulpit, and Wake-robin. Indian wheat, maize or Indian corn. Indian yellow.
An intense rich yellow color, deeper than gamboge but less pure than cadmium.
See Euxanthin.