Tussocky

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Covered with thick clumps or tufts of grass or vegetation growing from the ground
2. Characterized by the presence of tussocks, forming an uneven and lumpy terrain
3. Having the appearance or quality of being dotted with raised clumps of dense grass or similar plant growth

Etymology: "Tussocky" is simply "tussock" with the adjective-forming suffix "-y" added, and the suffix itself has a long pedigree. It descends from Old English "-īg", which in turn comes from a Proto-Germanic ending "-gaz" that also gave English words such as "-ish" in its adjectival role, and it reached Middle English as "-y" before settling into the form used today. The base word "tussock" is the more interesting half. It denotes a dense clump of grass or sedge, the kind that rises out of boggy or rough ground and makes walking uneven. "Tussocky" therefore describes terrain covered in such clumps, and the word is most often used of moors, marshes and hillsides where the grass grows in untidy, hummocked mounds.

Synonyms: tufted, clumpy

Antonyms: smooth, even