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Glite Dictionary
barnyard grass

barnyard grass

7.5
A common wild grass that grows in wet farm fields and that animals sometimes eat
  • noun
  • /ˈbɑrnˌjɑrd ɡræs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hierba de establo
  • Some livestock will graze on barnyard grass when other forage is scarce.

Examples

  • The farmer spent days pulling barnyard grass from his rice paddies to prevent it from choking his crops.

  • The field was overrun with barnyard grass.

  • Barnyard grass thrives in wet, disturbed soils and can quickly overtake a field if not managed.

  • Farmers often struggle with barnyard grasses in their crops.

  • In spring, barnyard grass quickly fills the empty fields, making it a common sight in many rural areas.

  • Farmers often struggle to control barnyard grass, as it thrives in moist, cultivated soil.

  • During the summer, barnyard grass can become a problem for crops if left unchecked and can reduce yields.

Synonyms

Echinochloa crusgalli
vsbarnyard grass
  • Specialized
9.9

A coarse grass that grows each year as a common weed worldwide and is sometimes used for animal feed

is the common, regionally used name rather than the scientific term
barn grass
vsbarnyard grass
8.3

A common weed grass that farmers sometimes cut for hay or feed animals

is the broader common name used across regions rather than the botanical label
yardgrass
vsbarnyard grass
9.8

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

is the regional common name for this widespread coarse weed
yard grass
vsbarnyard grass
6.8

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

is the common regional name used for this coarse annual in many areas

Surface Forms

barnyard grass singular
barnyard grasses plural

Morphology

barnyard + grass

The compound is directly built from 'barnyard' (area near a barn) + 'grass' (plants), so the meaning — a type of grass associated with or found in barnyards/fields — is compositional and literal. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should understand the MWE.

Etymology

The name barnyard grass comes from a simple picture: this rough grass often grew in and around farm barnyards, where animals walked and the ground stayed wet. So today barnyard grass means that common rough 'weed' or grass people found near barns and sometimes used as 'food for animals'.