kikuyu grass
- noun
- Australian
:
hierba kikuyu
- Farmers often plant kikuyu grass because it grows quickly and provides good feed for cattle.
Examples
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During droughts, kikuyu grass remains green and is valuable for grazing animals.
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Many homeowners prefer kikuyu grass for their lawns.
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The field was covered in thick kikuyu grass after the rainy season.
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Is kikuyu grass suitable for dry climates?
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Farmers often plant kikuyu grass because it grows quickly and provides good feed for cattle.
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The field was covered in thick kikuyu grass after the rainy season.
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During droughts, kikuyu grass remains green and is valuable for grazing animals.
How Hardy
- Australian
1
3.8
2
7.7
- Specialized
1
4.4
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
kikuyu + grass
The headword 'grass' makes the compound clearly refer to a type or species of grass, so a learner who recognises 'Kikuyu' as a name will understand it denotes a particular kind of grass. However, the specific properties (fast-growing, hardy, East African origin) are not derivable from the constituents because 'Kikuyu' is a proper name/label unfamiliar as a descriptive element, so the full meaning is not fully predictable.
Etymology
Kikuyu grass may come from the Kikuyu people of Kenya, where this tough grass grows widely on hills and fields. That picture — the Kikuyu land covered in thick grass — helps you remember why the name means 'a fast-growing, hardy grass' used for 'lawns' and 'grazing'.