Zoysiagrass

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tough grass variety adept at enduring warmth and minimal moisture requirements
2. A species of resilient grass well-suited for warm climates and drought conditions
3. A hardy grass variety commonly planted in lawns for its tolerance to heat and low water needs

Etymology: Zoysiagrass is a compound of two parts. "Zoysia" is the genus name given to the group of warm-season grasses it belongs to, and "grass" is the ordinary English word. Put together, the term simply names a grass of the Zoysia genus, so the history here is one of botanical naming rather than a story of shifting meaning. The genus itself honours a person. Zoysia was named in the eighteenth century after Karl von Zois, an Austrian botanist, and the plant names built from it follow that pattern. The name records a scientist's credit rather than any feature of the grass, which is typical of genus names given to plants that European botanists were cataloguing at the time.