Moss

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /mɒs/

Definitions

1. A small flowerless plant that grows in dense green clumps or mats, typically in damp or shady locations
2. A primitive, flowerless organism that grows in dense green patches in shaded or moist areas, often forming a carpet-like covering on surfaces
3. A non-vascular plant that thrives in wet or shady environments, forming lush green mats or tufts that can cover ground and surfaces

Etymology: Old English "mos" originally meant "bog" or "marsh" as well as the plant we now call moss. The sense of a bog came first, and the green plant took its name from the wet ground it grew in. The same root gave Dutch "mos", German "Moos" and Swedish "mossa", and the Latin "muscus" is a cognate too, so the word reaches back to a common Germanic and Indo-European ancestor meaning "moss". English also has a surprising modern namesake. "Moss" is a doublet of "mousse", the two words having split from a common source through different routes into English, so the plant and the frothy dessert are distant relatives. Its most recent sense is a playful one: in American football circles, a spectacular catch made over a defender is called a "Randy Moss", after the wide receiver famous for such plays.

Synonyms: lichen, bryophyte