Aftergrasses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The collective term for various grasses that grow following the completion of cropping or harvesting
2. A group of plant species that typically emerge after agricultural activities have ceased
3. Referring to the growth of grasses that appear in fields after the main crops have been collected

Etymology: "Aftergrasses" is the plural of "aftergrass," a noun for the grass that springs up again in a meadow after the hay or crop has been cut. The word is a plain compound: "after," meaning following in time, joined to "grass," so it names the growth that comes after the first mowing. Because the formation is so transparent, the word needs no special story beyond its two parts, and its meaning is exactly what the parts suggest.