Definition

Noun 1. A tall cereal grass (Pennisetum glaucum, syn. Pennisetum americanum): A plant characterized by its tall growth and dense, cylindrical, cattail-like flower spikes. It is cultivated for its edible grain (pearl millet), for animal fodder, and historically as an ingredient in brewing.

Usage

• Cattail millet is a drought-tolerant crop vital for food security in arid regions.
• The farmer harvested the cattail millet to use as forage for the livestock.
• Some traditional African beers are brewed using grains from cattail millet.

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily used in agricultural, botanical, and historical contexts to specify this particular species of millet, distinguishing it from other millets like foxtail or proso millet.

Variants and Related Words

• Pearl millet: The most common modern name for the grain produced by the cattail millet plant.
• Bulrush millet: Another synonym for cattail millet.
• Pennisetum glaucum: The current botanical (Latin) name for the species.
• Millet: The general category of small-seeded grasses to which cattail millet belongs.

Synonyms

• Pearl millet
• Bulrush millet

Different Meanings

• The term "cattail millet" refers specifically to the plant species . It does not refer to the common wetland plant known simply as a "cattail" (genus ), though the name derives from the visual similarity of their flower spikes.

Noun

1. tall grass having cattail like spikes; grown in Africa and Asia for its grain and in the United States chiefly for forage; sometimes used in making beer