foxtail

/'fɔksteil/

Thân thiện

A dog has a foxtail stuck in its fur after running through a field.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of grass: "foxtail" refers to any of various grasses belonging to the genera Alopecurus and Setaria, characterized by dense, silky, or bristly brush-like flowering spikes that resemble a fox's tail.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The field was overgrown with foxtail, its bristly seed heads waving in the wind.
  • Farmers consider some types of foxtail to be problematic weeds.

Advanced Usage

• "Foxtail" as a descriptor: The term is sometimes used attributively to describe other plants or objects with a similar brush-like appearance.
  • The decorative grass had a lovely foxtail shape.

Variants and Related Words

• Foxtail grass: A more specific common name for these plants.
• Foxtail millet (): A specific cultivated species of foxtail grown for its grain.
• Yellow foxtail (): A common species of foxtail grass.

Synonyms

• Bristlegrass: A common name for grasses in the genus, referring to their bristly flower spikes.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary meaning of "foxtail" is botanical. It is not commonly used to refer to the actual tail of a fox; the phrase "fox's tail" is used for that meaning.

Học thuật

Noun

1. grasses of the genera Alopecurus and Setaria having dense silky or bristly brushlike flowering spikes

Từ đồng nghĩa

• foxtail grass