cattail
4
4.2
- noun
- /ˈkætˌteɪl/
- US
- There were willows and cattails, and even some ducks and rabbits.
- cattail-dominated wetlands
- cattail marsh
- planted with cattail
Examples
-
One day they rode past fields upon fields of cattails, with brown flowerheads hunched into the shape of sausages.
Fiction book (1990) -
Offshore, Ayla noticed an island of tall grass reeds with cattails growing along the edges.
Fiction book (1990) -
In some places outside the refuge, the cattails extend as far as the eye can see.
Academic text (1994) -
Researchers report that simple bread made with cattail flour doesn't taste so bad.
Academic text (2011) -
At all stages, the cattail tops could be pulled or mashed apart into their many tiny components.
Fiction book (1990) -
Since its inception in 1991, the cattail program has undergone several changes.
Academic text (2011) -
A stinging northeast wind off the Atlantic is pushing through cattails and seagrass.
Fiction book (2002) -
Tucked between some of the old, dried cattails and the new growth were nests filled with brown-flecked, light-blue eggs.
Fiction book (1990) -
Aerially harassed blackbirds would often take refuge in row crops, shelterbelts, or dense cattail stands until the pursuit ended.
Academic text (2011) -
In the wetlands, the cattail plants sway gently in the wind, their brown flower spikes standing tall.
Synonyms
1
9.2
A tall marsh plant with a long brown flower spike like a cattail
1
8.5
A tall marsh plant with a brown sausage-shaped seed head and long flat leaves used for making mats and seats
A tall marsh plant with long flat leaves and a brown seed head that releases fluffy down
Compounds
- Specialized
1
7.3
A tall marsh plant with long narrow leaves and a brown flower head
A group of tall marsh plants like cattails with long leaves and brown flower spikes
A tall grass with thick round seed heads that farmers grow for grain and animal food
How Tall
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word cattail comes from the simple English parts cat and tail, because the plant's long brown flower spike looks like a cat's 'tail'. So a cattail is the tall marsh plant with a sausage-shaped brown flower at the top.