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Glite Dictionary
old witchgrass

old witchgrass

9.9
A common North American grass with thin, brush-like groups of flowers that grows as a weed in fields
  • noun
  • /oʊld wɪtʃɡræs/
  • US
translation icon : hierba bruja
  • The invasion of old witchgrass in the cornfields reduced crop yields significantly.

Examples

  • Weeds like old witchgrass can be difficult to eradicate from cultivated soil.

  • Farmers often struggle to control the spread of old witchgrass on their land.

  • The old witchgrass spread quickly in the garden.

  • Farmers often struggle with old witchgrass in their fields.

  • Farmers often struggle to control the spread of old witchgrass on their land.

  • The invasion of old witchgrass in the cornfields reduced crop yields significantly.

  • Weeds like old witchgrass can be difficult to eradicate from cultivated soil.

Synonyms

old witch grass
vsold witchgrass
  • US
9.6

A North American grass with thin, brush-like flower heads that often grows as a weed

is identical in meaning but written as one word
Panicum capillare
vsold witchgrass
  • Specialized
9.9

A North American grass with thin, brushy flower clusters that often grows as a weed in fields

is the common descriptive name used in everyday contexts
tumble grass
vsold witchgrass
  • US
9.4

A wild grass with thin brush-like seed heads that grows in fields

uses the traditional descriptive name for that same plant
witchgrass
vsold witchgrass
  • UK
9.8

A wild grass that grows in fields and along roads and spreads quickly

refers specifically to the North American species with brushy panicles
witch grass
vsold witchgrass
  • UK
8.3

A grass that spreads quickly and grows where it is not wanted

focuses on the plant's slender brushy flower clusters rather than spread rate

Surface Forms

old witchgrass singular
old witchgrasses plural

Morphology

old + witchgrass

This is a straightforward adjective+noun combination: 'old' modifies 'witchgrass', so the meaning—a witchgrass plant that is old or long-established—is directly derivable from the constituent meanings. The pattern follows standard adjective+noun compositional rules and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

Old witchgrass may come from farmers' stories that the plant's brushy seed heads look like a witch's wild hair and that it appears quickly and is hard to pull out. So the words witch and grass give a picture of a stubborn 'weed' that causes problems in fields.