Definition

Noun: 1. A type of grass with a dense, brush-like flower spike: Any of various grasses belonging to the genera Alopecurus (foxtails) and Setaria (bristlegrasses), characterized by their dense, silky, or bristly flowering spikes that resemble a fox's tail. 2. A common name for a clubmoss: A common name for Lycopodiella alopecuroides, a type of ground pine plant that is thickly covered with bristly leaves, found in moist, sandy, or peaty coastal regions.

Usage Examples

• Sense 1 (Grass):
  • The meadow was dotted with foxtail grass, its soft, silky spikes waving in the wind.
  • Farmers consider some types of foxtail grass to be problematic weeds in cultivated fields.
• Sense 2 (Clubmoss):
  • In the boggy coastal plain, we found patches of foxtail grass (ground pine) growing in the wet peat.

Advanced Usage

• The term is primarily used in botanical and agricultural contexts. In casual use, it most often refers to the weedy grasses (Sense 1).
• The specific meaning is usually clear from the context (e.g., discussing a meadow vs. a coastal bog).

Variants and Related Words

• Foxtail (noun): A common shortened form, typically referring to the grass (Sense 1) and its distinctive seed head.
  • The dog came back from the field with foxtails stuck in its fur.
• Bristlegrass (noun): A synonym for grasses in the genus .
• Meadow Foxtail (noun): A specific common name for .
• Yellow Foxtail (noun): A common name for , a weedy grass.

Synonyms

• For Sense 1 (Grass): Bristlegrass.
• For Sense 2 (Clubmoss): Foxtail clubmoss, ground pine.

Notes on Meaning

This word has two distinct botanical meanings: 1. The more common meaning refers to true grasses (family Poaceae) with a specific flower shape. 2. The less common meaning refers to a type of clubmoss (family Lycopodiaceae), which is not a true grass but a primitive vascular plant. This dual meaning is an example of a shared common name for unrelated plants.

Noun

1. grasses of the genera Alopecurus and Setaria having dense silky or bristly brushlike flowering spikes
2. ground pine thickly covered with bristly leaves; widely distributed in barren sandy or peaty moist coastal regions of eastern and southeastern United States