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Glite Dictionary
cat's-tail

cat's-tail

11 8.5
A tall marsh plant with a brown sausage-shaped seed head and long flat leaves used for making mats and seats
  • noun
  • /ˈkæts teɪl/
  • UK
translation icon : espadaña
  • The artisan weaved a beautiful mat from cat's-tail fibers.
  • cat's-tail

Examples

  • The chair seats were made of durable cat's-tail grass.

  • During the summer, we often saw cat's-tail growing along the riverbank.

  • Frida enters the kitchen and sees the cat's dishes are empty.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Its fakey turf was now overrun by scrub-jack pine, elderberry, poison ivy, and cat's-claw.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Licorice root, garlic, calendula, usnea lichen, yarrow flower, milkvetch, and finally, cat's claw.

    Gretel & Hansel (2020)

Synonyms

cattail
vscat's-tail
  • US
5 4.2

A tall marsh plant with long flat leaves and a brown sausage-shaped flower spike

highlights use for making mats and seats rather than the flower spike
bulrush
vscat's-tail
  • UK
1 7.1

A tall plant with long soft stems that grows in wet places like marshes or riverbanks

emphasizes leaves for weaving rather than flexible stems for baskets
Typha latifolia
vscat's-tail
  • Specialized
9.1

A tall marsh plant with long flat leaves and a brown seed head that releases fluffy down

is the general plant term rather than that single species
reedmace
vscat's-tail
  • UK
9.9

A tall marsh plant with long brown seed heads and flat leaves used for weaving

is the same plant but does not stress the fluffy seed down
reed mace
vscat's-tail
  • UK
8.5

A tall marsh plant with long flat leaves and long brown seed heads used for weaving mats and chair seats

is the general name focusing on the plant rather than its range
nailrod
vscat's-tail
9.9

A tall plant that grows in wet places with round seed heads that burst and long leaves used for weaving

focuses on leaves for weaving rather than the seed release behavior
bullrush
vscat's-tail
  • Australian
7.7

A tall plant that grows in wet places with long leaves and brown seed heads used to make mats

is the broader plant term used without extra regional detail

Surface Forms

cat's-tail singular
cat's-tails plural

Morphology

cat's-tail = cat + tail (transparent) = cat + tail

The name describes the plant's seedhead resembling a cat's tail, so the parts directly motivate the meaning.

Etymology

The word cat's-tail comes from the plant's long, brown seed head that looks like a cat's tail, soft and narrow. That's why the name helps you remember this tall marsh plant often used for making mats and chair seats.