switch grass
- noun
- /swɪtʃ ɡræs/
- Specialized
:
hierba de cambio
- Farmers often grow switch grass for hay due to its high yield and durability.
Examples
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In western North America, switch grass is known for its ability to conserve soil moisture.
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To improve soil health, many ranchers plant switch grass in their fields each spring.
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What are the inputs you need to turn switch grass or corn or sugar cane into liquid fuel or gas fuel?
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We did the Switch Grass program and had to keep our fields in switch grass for 3 years, even though the program crashed with the government.
Blog text (26)
Synonyms
2
6.6
A tall North American grass that farmers grow for fuel, animal food, and to help wildlife
A tall North American grass people grow for hay and fuel
How Tropical
Surface Forms
Morphology
switch + grass
This is the lexicalized name of a specific prairie grass species and its specialized meaning (a tall North American grass used for hay/soil conservation) is not directly inferable from the constituents. The common senses of 'switch' (to change or a small twig) do not straightforwardly predict this botanical referent, so a B1 learner knowing the parts but not the term would be unlikely to derive the meaning.
Etymology
Switch grass comes from the long, flexible stems of the plant. A switch was a 'thin, flexible twig' used like a small stick, so people named this tall grass after those stick-like stems, which helps explain why it is a strong grass used for hay and to protect the soil.