bulrush meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

bulrush

noun

/ˈbʊlɹʌʃ/

Etymology From Middle English bulrish, perhaps from bule (“bull”) (in the sense of "large") + rish (“rush”).

Biblical, Lifestyle, Religion A plant referred to in the story of Moses as growing along the banks of the Nile, which is believed to be the papyrus (Cyperus papyrus).

Any of various tall, narrow-leaved plants growing near water, especially cattail or reedmace, in the genus Typha.

Sedges in the genera Bolboschoenus or Schoenoplectus (formerly considered Scirpus), having clusters of spikelets.

Australia Any of various reed-like plants growing near water, especially Typha domingensis and Typha orientalis; cumbungi, wonga.

Explorers Eyre, Kreft, and George Moore all refer to the importance of bulrush starch in different parts of the continent.2018, Bruce Pascoe, Dark Emu, Scribe, published 2020, page 56:

Derived terms: bulrushlike, bulrushy, chairmaker's bulrush, great bulrush, green bulrush, Olney's bulrush, seek a knot in a bulrush, softstem bulrush, woolgrass bulrush
Related terms: rush, cattail, papyrus, reed, sedge