Strawier

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by a texture similar to dry stalks of grain; having a thin, coarse, or fibrous quality; resembling or made up of straw-like material
2. Exhibiting a rough, fibrous composition akin to dried plant stems; thin and coarse in appearance or structure; reminiscent of straw in texture or form
3. Possessing qualities of dry, hollow stems found in plants; appearing thin and wiry like straw; composed of slender, fibrous elements resembling those of straw fibers

Etymology: "Strawier" is the comparative of "strawy", so it means "more like straw" than something else. It is a simple inflected form, and the base word is a plain Old English noun, "straw", with the adjective-forming suffix "-y" added to it. That suffix goes back through Middle English to the Old English "-ig", which turned nouns into adjectives meaning "having the quality of" or "full of" the noun. The comparative ending "-ier" follows the usual English pattern for adjectives ending in "-y": the "y" changes to "i" before "-er". So "strawy" becomes "strawier", as "heavy" becomes "heavier" and "hairy" becomes "hairier". The stem itself, "straw", is among the oldest layers of the English vocabulary, reaching back to the Germanic roots of the language.

Synonyms: more straw-like, drier, coarser

Antonyms: less straw-like, softer, moister