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Glite Dictionary
🌾 A hardy grass 🌱 A coarse weed
wire grass

wire grass

8.2
A coarse one-year grass that has long thin flower spikes and often grows as a weed
  • noun
  • Australian
translation icon : hierba de alambre
  • Many farmers struggle to control the spread of wire grass in their pastures.

Examples

  • The field was dominated by tough clumps of wire grass.

  • The sharp edges of wire grass can irritate the skin when touched.

  • Look at the wire grass!

  • The wire grass grows abundantly in tropical regions.

  • Many farmers struggle to control the spread of wire grass in their pastures.

  • The field was dominated by tough clumps of wire grass.

  • The sharp edges of wire grass can irritate the skin when touched.

Synonyms

Eleusine indica
vswire grass
  • Specialized
9.9

A rough annual grass with fingerlike seed heads that often grows as a weed

is the common general term for that species rather than the exact scientific name
yardgrass
vswire grass
9.8

A coarse annual grass with spikes of flowers that grows as a common weed

is a neutral regional label rather than emphasizing wide naturalization
yard grass
vswire grass
6.8

A rough grass that grows as a common yard weed with thin flower spikes

focuses on general natural origin and weed status rather than garden location
goose grass
vswire grass
  • Specialized
7.9

A coarse annual grass often found as a weed in fields and gardens

is a specific tropical weed species rather than many species or forage use

Surface Forms

wire grass singular
wire grasses plural

Morphology

wire + grass

The meaning—a type of grass that is coarse or has wire-like stems—is directly inferable from combining 'wire' (metal thread; or the adjective sense 'wiry') with 'grass'. This noun–noun compounding pattern is transparent and common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely guess the referent even if they haven't seen the botanical term before.

Etymology

The plant name wire grass comes from its stiff, fingerlike flower spikes and rough stems that feel like wire against the skin rather than soft grass. So the name fits this tough weed that can prick and spread easily when touched.