herd's grass
- noun
- Specialized
- The field was covered in tall herd's grass, ready to be harvested for the winter months.
Examples
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Researchers are developing new varieties of herd's grass to improve yield in colder climates.
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The farmer planted herd's grass in the field.
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Farmers often rely on herd's grass because it produces excellent hay for livestock feed.
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Many livestock thrive on herd's grass.
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Farmers often rely on herd's grass because it produces excellent hay for livestock feed.
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The field was covered in tall herd's grass, ready to be harvested for the winter months.
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Researchers are developing new varieties of herd's grass to improve yield in colder climates.
Synonyms
1
7.5
A grass with long seed heads grown for hay to feed animals
1
8.9
A grass with long flower spikes that farmers grow for hay to feed cattle and horses
Surface Forms
Morphology
herd's + grass
A B1 learner who knows 'herd' and 'grass' would likely interpret 'herd's grass' as grass associated with or used by a herd (i.e., grass for grazing or hay), so there is a clear associative link. However, the specific botanical sense (a particular species with long cylindrical spikes grown for hay) is not predictable from the constituents alone, making the expression only partially compositional.
Etymology
Herd's grass comes from farming: people grew a tall, spike-like grass that farmers cut and saved as 'hay' to feed a herd of animals. So the name links the plant and its use and now means a grass grown for 'hay' or animal 'feed'.