grass

noun, verb — 18 senses

grass

noun

UK [ɡɹ̠ɑːs] · CA, US [ɡɹ̠æs]

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English gras, from Old English græs, from Proto-West Germanic *gras, from Proto-Germanic *grasą (“grass”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow”). Cognates Cognate with Scots gress (“grass”), North Frisian gaars, geers, Gērs, gjars, gjas, gäärs (“grass”), Saterland Frisian Gäärs (“grass”), West Frisian gers (“grass”), Cimbrian gras, grass (“grass”), German and Luxembourgish Gras (“grass, weed”), Dutch gras (“grass, turf, pasture”), Mòcheno and Vilamovian gros (“grass”), West Flemish ges (“grass”), Yiddish גראָז (groz, “grass”), Danish græs (“grass”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Norwegian Nynorsk gras (“grass”), Norwegian Bokmål gras, gress (“grass”), Swedish gräs (“grass”), Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌰𐍃 (gras, “herb”); also Latin herba (“plant, weed, grass”), Albanian grath (“grass blade, spike”). Related to grow, green. The "informer" sense is probably a shortening of grasshopper (“police officer, informant”), rhyming slang for copper (“police officer”) or shopper (“informant”); the exact sequence of derivation is unclear.

12 senses
  1. 1Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by leaves…
  2. 2Any of the various plants that are not in the family…
  3. 3A lawn.
  4. 4The outside world, especially in the phrase "touch grass".
  5. 5Marijuana.
  6. 6An informer, police informer; one who betrays a group…
  7. 7Sharp, closely spaced discontinuities in the trace of a…
  8. 8Noise on an A-scope or similar type of radar display.
  9. 9The season of fresh grass; spring or summer.
  10. 10That which is transitory.
  11. 11Asparagus; "sparrowgrass".
  12. 12The surface of a mine.
1

Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by leaves that arise from nodes in the stem and leaf bases that wrap around the stem, especially those grown as ground cover rather than for grain.

  • Thou turnest man to destruction: and sayest, Returne yee children of men. / For a thousand yeeres in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past: and as a watch in the night. / Thou carriest them away as with a flood, they are as a sleepe: in the morning they are like grasse which groweth vp. / In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth vp: in the euening it is cut downe, and withereth.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 90:3–6:
  • The cicale above in the lime, / And the lizards below in the grass, / Were as silent as ever old Tmolus was, / Listening to my sweet pipings.a. 1823 (date written), Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Hymn of Pan”, in Mary W[ollstonecraft] Shelley, editor, Posthumous Poems of Percy Bysshe Shelley, London: […] [C. H. Reynell] for John and Henry L[eigh] Hunt, […], published 1824, →OCLC, page 169:
1 more example
  • 'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
2

Any of the various plants that are not in the family Poaceae that resemble grasses.

3

A lawn.

4

The outside world, especially in the phrase "touch grass".

5

Slang Marijuana.

  • Jojo left his home in Tucson, Arizona / For some California grass1970, Paul McCartney, “Get Back”, in Let It Be, performed by The Beatles:
6

UK, Slang An informer, police informer; one who betrays a group (of criminals, etc) to the authorities.

  • What just happened must remain secret. Don't be a grass.
  • He was a grass and an arse lick and he didn't do it for him, he did it for his brother, because if Vaughan had hit him especially with his mallet, Mark was the kind of lowlife that would have pressed charges and then that's a whole different problem.2007, Paul Knight, Coding of a Concrete Animal, page 215:
1 more example
  • Another claimed a £10,000 bounty was put on his head as he was rumoured to be a “grass”.2023 June 29, Metro, London, page 4, column 1:
7

Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics Sharp, closely spaced discontinuities in the trace of a cathode-ray tube, produced by random interference.

8

Slang Noise on an A-scope or similar type of radar display.

  • The problem in radar detection is to have a signal to noise ratio that will allow the echo to be seen through the grass on the radar screen. The use of a long pulse allows a greater average signal strength to be returned in the target echoes.1960, Radarman 3 & 2, volume 1, United States. Bureau of Naval Personnel, page 49:
  • Some of the scattered waves can be picked up by the receiver and may show up as "grass" on the radar presentation. Weather radars make use of this phenomenon to chart the progress of storms.1963, Analysis of Weapons, page 61:
9

The season of fresh grass; spring or summer.

10

Figuratively, Obsolete That which is transitory.

  • The grasse withereth, the flowre fadeth; because the spirit of the Lord bloweth vpon it: surely the people is grasse.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 40:7:
11

Asparagus; "sparrowgrass".

  • 'Have ready a hundred of ſmall graſs boiled, then ſave tops enough to ſtick the rolls with, the reſt cut ſmall and put into the cream, fill the loaves with them.'1769, Hannah Glasse, The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy, 9th edition, page 195:
12

Business, Mining The surface of a mine.

Synonyms
grass
Derived terms
446 termsabove grass, adder's grass, after-grass, aftergrass, Aleppo grass, alfa grass, alkali grass, all cows eat grass, Angleton grass, arrowgrass, ass in the grass, autograss, Bahama grass, bahia grass, bahiagrass, bamboo grass, barnyard grass, basketgrass, beachgrass, beardgrass, beargrass, beetle grass, bentgrass, bent grass, Bermuda grass, billion-dollar grass, bison grass, blackgrass, blade of grass, blind grass, blue-eyed grass, blue grass, bluegrass, bluestem grass, bristlegrass, broadleaf carpet grass, bromegrass, buffalo grass, bunchgrass, bunch grass, bunny grass, burgrass, bushman grass, button grass, California grass, canary grass, canegrass, carnation-grass, carpet grass, cat grass, centipede grass, cheatgrass, cheat grass, Chilcotts Grass, China grass, Christmas grass, citronella grass, clover grass, clubgrass, cockatoo grass, cogon grass, cogongrass, congress grass, cordgrass, cottongrass, couch grass, couch-grass, cow's grass, crabgrass, crowngrass, cusa-grass, cusa grass, cutgrass, cutty grass, daba grass, deergrass, deer's grass, devil grass, devil's-grass, diamond grass, dog grass, dog's-tail grass, dogtooth grass, doob grass, doub grass, Easter grass, eelgrass, Efwatakala grass, elephant grass, esparto grass, eyelash grass, feathergrass, feather grass, feather-grass, fever grass, finger grass, Flinders grass, flyaway grass, fountaingrass, frass, gama grass, get to grass, goatgrass, go into the long grass, Good Friday grass, goosegrass, gordura grass, go to grass, gramagrass, grass assassin bug, grass bass, grass beef, grass-bird, grassbird, grassbox, grass carp, grass cat, grass catcher, grasscloth, grass cloth, grass-cock, grass-comber, grass court, grass crab spider, grass crown, grasscutter, grasscutting, grasscycle, grasscycling, grass dance, grass-dart, grass-eater, grasseater, grasseous, grasser, grass-fed, grassfield, grassfinch, grass fire, grassfire, grass frog, grass-green, grass-grown, grass grub, grass hand, grasshawk, grass hockey, grasshook, grasshopper, grass jelly, grass knot, grassland, grassless, grasslike, grassling, grass moon, grass moth, grass mud horse, grass of Parnassus, grass oil, grassoline, grass on, grass parrot, grass-pea, grass pea, grass pink, grassplat, grassplot, grass plot, grass plover, grassquit, grass rake, grass rat, grassroot, grass-rooted, grassroots, grass roots, grass-roots, grass script, grass seed, grass shrimp, grass sickness, grass-skipper, grass skirt, grass snake, grass staggers, grass tetany, grass time, grass top, grass-tops, grass tops, grass trap, grass tree, grassture, grass up, grass warbler, grassweed, grass widow, grass-widowed, grass widower, grass widowhood, grasswork, grasswren, grassy, grass-yellow, greasegrass, green as grass, Guatemala grass, Guinea grass, hairgrass, hair grass, halfa grass, hardgrass, Harding grass, hariali grass, haver-grass, heartbreak grass, hear the grass grow, herds-grass, hippo grass, hit into the long grass, hog grass, holy grass, honey grass, Howards Grass, Japanese pampas grass, Johnson grass, joint grass, Junegrass, kangaroo grass, kans grass, kauri grass, kick into the long grass, Kikuyu grass, kikuyu grass, knotgrass, kuskus grass, Lagoon Grass, lawngrass, lemongrass, let the grass grow round one's feet, let the grass grow under one's feet, little bluestem grass, longgrass, Louisiana grass, love grass, lyme grass, maiden grass, Manila grass, mannagrass, Mardi Grass, marram grass, marsh grass, marvel grass, matgrass, meadow grass, Means grass, Merlin's grass, mesquite grass, midge grass, midgrass, Mitchell grass, molasses grass, monkey grass, moor grass, mow the grass, much grass, muraina grass, muttongrass, Nairobi grass rat, nanograss, Napier grass, needle-and-thread grass, needlegrass, Neptune grass, nipa grass, nitgrass, nongrass, nut-grass, nutgrass, oatgrass, oat grass, one's ass is grass, onion grass, orchardgrass, orchard grass, oyster grass, paddle grass, painted grass, palm grass, pampas grass, pangola grass, Pará grass, Para grass, para grass, pearl grass, penny grass, penny-grass, peppergrass, pigeongrass, pineapple grass, pinegrass, pin grass, pinhole grass, plume grass, porcupine grass, poverty grass, pudding grass, punt into the long grass, purple three-awn grass, push into the long grass, put out to grass, quack grass, quack-grass, quackgrass, quake grass, quaking grass, quitch grass, quitchgrass, Randall grass, rattlesnake grass, Ravenna grass, ray grass, razor grass, redhead grass, redtop grass, reedgrass, reed grass, regrass, rescue grass, Rhodes grass, ribbongrass, ribgrass, rice grass, ricegrass, ripgut grass, robin-run-in-the-grass, rope grass, rosha grass, rough-stalked meadow grass, rye-grass, rye grass, ryegrass, saltgrass, salt grass, sawgrass, saw-grass, saw grass, scented grass, scorpion grass, scratchgrass, scrubgrass, scurvy-grass, scurvy grass, scutch grass, sea couch grass, seagrass, sedge grass, serpent-grass, shadow grass, shavegrass, shaving-grass, sheda grass, shoal grass, shortgrass, silkgrass, single-striped grass mouse, slough grass, smutgrass, snake-grass, snake in the grass, snowgrass, sour grass, sourgrass, Spanish grass, sparrow-grass, sparrow grass, spear grass, speargrass, spikegrass, spotless grass yellow, squirrel grass, squitch grass, star grass, St. Augustine grass, sticker grass, stiltgrass, sudangrass, sugar grass, supergrass, susuki grass, sweetgrass, Sweet Grass County, sweet vernal grass, switchgrass, switch grass, swordgrass, sword grass, tallgrass, tapegrass, tape grass, Tasmanian grass grub, thatching grass, the grass is always greener, the grass is always greener on the other side, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, the grass is always greener on the other side of the road, ticklegrass, tiger grass, timothy grass, tinker tailor grass, toad-grass, tongue grass, toothache grass, tottergrass, touch grass, touch some grass, turfgrass, tussac grass, tussock grass, twitch grass, Uganda grass, umbrella grass, Vasey grass, Vasey's grass, velvetgrass, vernal grass, vernalgrass, wallaby grass, watch grass grow, watergrass, wheatgrass, whiskey grass, whitlow grass, widgeon grass, wind-grass, windmill grass, wiregrass, witchgrass, witch grass, woolgrass, wormgrass, yardgrass, yellow bristle grass, yellow-eyed grass, zoysiagrass
Related terms
Poaceae, Poaceae on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Hypernyms
plant
Hyponyms
cereal, wheat, barley, oat, brome-grass, reed-grass, bamboo, rice, wild rice, giant reed, common reed, lovegrass, dropseed, finger millet, muhly grass, panic grass, maize, sorghum, sugar cane, most millet, fonio, bluestem grass, pampas grass, bunchgrass

grass

verb
Etymology

Inherited from Middle English gras, from Old English græs, from Proto-West Germanic *gras, from Proto-Germanic *grasą (“grass”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow”). Cognates Cognate with Scots gress (“grass”), North Frisian gaars, geers, Gērs, gjars, gjas, gäärs (“grass”), Saterland Frisian Gäärs (“grass”), West Frisian gers (“grass”), Cimbrian gras, grass (“grass”), German and Luxembourgish Gras (“grass, weed”), Dutch gras (“grass, turf, pasture”), Mòcheno and Vilamovian gros (“grass”), West Flemish ges (“grass”), Yiddish גראָז (groz, “grass”), Danish græs (“grass”), Faroese, Icelandic, and Norwegian Nynorsk gras (“grass”), Norwegian Bokmål gras, gress (“grass”), Swedish gräs (“grass”), Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌰𐍃 (gras, “herb”); also Latin herba (“plant, weed, grass”), Albanian grath (“grass blade, spike”). Related to grow, green. The "informer" sense is probably a shortening of grasshopper (“police officer, informant”), rhyming slang for copper (“police officer”) or shopper (“informant”); the exact sequence of derivation is unclear.

1

To lay out on the grass; to knock down (an opponent etc.).

  • The Chicken himself attributed this punishment to his having had the misfortune to get into Chancery early in the proceedings, when he was severely fibbed by the Larkey one, and heavily grassed.1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:
  • He flew at me with his knife, and I had to grass him twice, and got a cut over the knuckles, before I had the upper hand of him.1893, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Naval Treaty, Norton, published 2005, page 709:
2

Slang To act as a grass or informer, to betray; to report on (criminals etc) to the authorities.

  • "Grassed on me he did," I said morosely. (Note: Grass is English thief slang for inform.)^([sic])1962 [1959], William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch, New York: Grove Press, page 2:
  • "I'm dressed as a woman, but I am still technically a man. I believe that to comply with the law of the land I ought to continue to use the Gents', but in order not to look out place I intend to use the Ladies' from now on. I trust none of you will grass on me..."2004, David Nobbs, Sex and Other Changes, page 95:
3

To cover with grass or with turf.

4

To feed with grass.

5

To expose, as flax, on the grass for bleaching, etc.

6

To bring to the grass or ground; to land.

  • Let him hook and land a tigerfish of 20 lb., at the imminent risk of capsizing and joining the company of the engaging crocodiles, or, when he has grassed the fish, of having a finger bitten off by his iron teeth […]1903, John Buchan, The African Colony:
  • In typical Necker style, the farmer walked to the line and mounted his gun without any shilly-shally. If he grassed the bird, he and Faurote would go into a shootout. If he missed, Faurote would win.2011, Deeanne Gist, Love on the Line, page 138:
Derived terms
grasser

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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