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Glite Dictionary
silkgrass

silkgrass

9.9
A grass that grows on dry plains and feeds animals like cattle
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : hierba seda
  • The silkgrass grows best in the dry uplands, providing essential forage during the summer months.

Examples

  • As a hardy forage option, silkgrass thrives in the plains of western North America.

  • Farmers in the region often plant silkgrass for its durability and nutritional value for livestock.

  • Mayflower Bocawina National Park is located just off the Southern Highway at about Mile 6, before you reach the village of Silkgrass.

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Synonyms

mountain rice
vssilkgrass
  • US
8.1

A grass that animals eat in dry high places and plains of western North America and northern Mexico

is identical in meaning without any difference
silk grass
vssilkgrass
  • US
9.0

A tough grass that grows on dry land and feeds cattle

is identical in meaning but written without a space
Oryzopsis hymenoides
vssilkgrass
  • Specialized
9.9

A grass that grows every year in dry western North America and that farm animals eat

names the grass in general use rather than a specific botanical term
ricegrass
vssilkgrass
  • US
8.2

A grass with seeds like small grains that grows in dry places in North America

refers to this specific forage in those plains, not the whole genus

Surface Forms

silkgrass singular
silkgrasses plural

Morphology

silkgrass = silk + grass (transparent) = silk + grass

The compound is a straightforward modifier + noun ('silk' + 'grass') and denotes a type of grass with silky characteristics, which learners can infer from the parts.

Etymology

The word silkgrass is made of two English words, silk and grass, because the plant has fine, 'silky' hairs and a soft look. That's why the name fits a valuable grass people use as feed for cattle in dry plains.