grass wrack
- noun
- UK
:
hierba marina
- Biologists study grass wrack habitats to monitor the health of marine ecosystems.
Examples
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The coastal marsh was filled with dense beds of grass wrack swaying gently underwater.
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After the storm, piles of grass wrack washed up along the sandy shoreline.
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The grass wrack grows abundantly in shallow waters.
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Have you seen the grass wrack along the coast?
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After the storm, piles of grass wrack washed up along the sandy shoreline.
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Biologists study grass wrack habitats to monitor the health of marine ecosystems.
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The coastal marsh was filled with dense beds of grass wrack swaying gently underwater.
Synonyms
2
5.4
An underwater plant with long leaves that forms dense beds in shallow seas
1
8.1
A long plant with narrow leaves that grows underwater and forms meadows for fish
A sea plant with long narrow leaves that grows underwater and forms beds where fish and small animals live
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents directly contribute to the compound meaning: 'wrack' denotes seaweed or marine plants and 'grass' describes a grass-like form, so 'grass wrack' denotes a type of wrack with long, narrow, grass-like leaves. This is a regular noun–noun composition following common descriptive patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Grass wrack comes from the words grass and wrack, where 'wrack' was a seaside word for sea plants or things 'washed up' on the shore. So the name paints a simple picture of long, grass-like plants that drift under the water or pile up on beaches, which is why it refers to submerged plants with long, narrow leaves.