moss

/mɔs/

Thân thiện

A soft carpet of green moss grows on the old stone wall.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A small, soft, non-vascular plant: Moss refers to a type of tiny, leafy-stemmed flowerless plant that typically forms dense green clumps or mats in damp or shady locations.

Usage

• Moss is an uncountable noun used to describe a collective growth of these plants.
• It is commonly found in nature writing and descriptions of damp environments.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The old stone wall was covered in a thick carpet of green moss.
  • Moss grows abundantly on the north side of the tree where it is shadier and more humid.

Advanced Usage

• "A rolling stone gathers no moss": This proverb suggests that a person who moves from place to place, job to job, or avoids responsibilities does not accumulate wealth, status, or attachments (like moss does not grow on a moving stone). It can imply either positive adaptability or a lack of roots, depending on context.
  • He's changed careers three times in five years; a rolling stone gathers no moss.

Variants and Related Words

• Mossy (adj): Covered with or resembling moss.
  • The mossy rocks were slippery underfoot.

Synonyms

• Bryophyte: The scientific term for mosses and related plants.
• Lichen: A different, composite organism (a fungus and an alga living together) that can resemble moss in appearance and habitat.

Học thuật

Noun

1. tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants