cane reed
- noun
- /keɪn riːd/
- US
- The wetlands are dominated by thick stands of cane reed near the riverbank.
Examples
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Many birds nest in the tall cane reeds along the river.
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Local artisans use cane reed to weave baskets and mats.
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Biologists are studying the decline of cane reed habitats in the southern states.
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The cane reed swayed gently in the breeze.
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Biologists are studying the decline of cane reed habitats in the southern states.
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Local artisans use cane reed to weave baskets and mats.
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Many birds nest in the tall cane reeds along the river.
Synonyms
A tall bamboo plant from the southern United States that grows in thick groups
A tall grass that grows in thick groups in the southern United States
A group of bamboo plants native to North America called switchcane
A tall grass that grows in wet places in the southern United States
A small cane grass that grows in wet places in the southeastern United States
A grass like reeds that grows in wet places like marshes, often in the southern United States
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a tall grass / reed-like cane plant' is directly derivable from combining 'cane' (flexible stem) and 'reed' (tall grasslike plant); both constituents contribute clear, related botanical senses. This noun–noun compound follows a transparent compositional pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's referent.
Etymology
Cane reed comes from the two words cane and reed, where cane is a strong, hollow stem like a walking stick and reed is a grass that grows by water. So cane reed describes a tall, strong wetland grass people used for baskets and mats, and today it means 'a tall grass that grows in wet places'.