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Glite Dictionary
rice grass

rice grass

7.5
A long-lived grass like wild rice that grows in North America and is eaten by animals
  • noun
  • /raɪs ɡræs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hierba de arroz
  • The wetlands are home to various plants, including rice grass, which thrive in moist soil.

Examples

  • Farmers often plant rice grass as a nutritious forage for livestock.

  • A pile of cut sandstone from the pioneer days, chiseled by pioneer hands, spilled down a slope into the rice grass and knapweed.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The cattle grazed peacefully in the field covered with rice grass.

Synonyms

ricegrass
vsrice grass
  • US
8.2

A grass with seeds like small grains that grows in dry places in North America

is mainly used for grazing rather than for arid tolerance or seed production
Oryzopsis
vsrice grass
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of grass plants like rice that grow in North America and Asia

is limited to North America and focuses on use as forage

Surface Forms

rice grass singular
rice grasses plural

Morphology

rice + grass

The compound 'rice grass' denotes a type of grass associated with or resembling rice, which is directly derivable from the constituents 'rice' + 'grass'. This follows regular noun–noun compounding (a common, cross-linguistic pattern) and is not idiomatic, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Rice grass gets its name from the plant's small seed heads that look like grains of rice and from being a kind of grass that people used for animal food. That's why the name links the image of rice to a grassy plant and helps you remember what it is.