Hairgrass

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of grass commonly found in wetland areas, known for its fine, hair-like leaves
2. A grass species that thrives in moist environments, characterized by slender, hair-like foliage
3. An aquatic or semi-aquatic plant recognized for its delicate, hair-like blades, often found in marshes or along water bodies

Etymology: "Hairgrass" is a plain compound: "hair" plus "grass." The image is of the grass's leaves, which are so narrow and thread-like that they look like hair. The name is applied to several slender-leaved grasses, most of them growing in wet ground, and the "hair" in the name refers to that fineness of leaf rather than to anything about the plant's texture or growth. Because the word is formed directly from two ordinary English words, its meaning can be read straight from its parts, and its history is simply the history of those two words joined together. The compound describes a whole group of plants rather than one species, so "hairgrass" appears in plant names with a modifier added in front to pick out a particular kind.

Synonyms: Deschampsia, needlegrass, bluegrass, fescue