Fogg

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Coarse, rank grass that is left uneaten in a field over the winter and often grows again in the autumn
2. A dialect term for the rough, long grass that remains standing in a meadow or pasture after the main hay crop
3. Tufts of rank, unpalatable grass that livestock leave behind in a pasture, especially through the cold months

Etymology: Fogg, in the sense of rank uneaten grass, is a dialect word from the north of England and Scotland, and it is first recorded in the late 1500s. It is not a common word, and its origins are uncertain. Some dictionaries link it to the older "fog" meaning moss or a crop of aftermath, a tall second growth left standing after a hay cut or grazing season. The sense of coarse, untended grass made the word useful to farmers describing pasture that had been left too long. Some sources connect it to Scandinavian words for moss or lichen, but this is a guess rather than a settled fact, so it is best treated as uncertain.

Synonyms: aftermath, rowen