Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
sheep fescue

sheep fescue

7.5
A grass that grows on poor hills, feeds sheep, and suits lawns
  • noun
  • /ʃip ˈfɛs.kju/
  • Specialized
translation icon : festuca ovina
  • The hillside was covered with sheep fescue, providing excellent grazing for the flock.

Examples

  • The botanist explained that sheep fescue thrives in poor, rocky soils.

  • Many homeowners choose sheep fescue for drought-tolerant lawns.

  • The farmer planted sheep fescue in the pasture.

  • Many sheep fescues thrive in poor soil conditions.

  • Many homeowners choose sheep fescue for its drought-resistant qualities in lawn care.

  • The hillside was covered with sheep fescue, which provided excellent grazing for the sheep.

  • The farmer planted sheep fescue in the pasture to ensure healthy grazing for his livestock.

Synonyms

sheep's fescue
vssheep fescue
  • Specialized
8.1

A grass with thin leaves that grows on hills and is used for sheep grazing and lawns

is the non-possessive common spelling used in some modern texts
Festuca ovina
vssheep fescue
  • Specialized
9.1

A short thin grass used for sheep pasture and dry lawns

is the everyday common name rather than the Latin species label

Surface Forms

sheep fescue singular
sheep fescues plural

Morphology

sheep + fescue

The phrase denotes a type or variety of fescue associated with sheep (i.e., grass used for grazing sheep), so its meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'sheep' + 'fescue'. This noun–noun naming pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words would grasp the basic meaning (even if botanical specifics require extra knowledge).

Etymology

Sheep fescue gets its name from a type of tough, short grass that sheep often ate on poor, rocky hills, so shepherds used it for grazing. That's why the name shows it is a hardy grass for grazing and why people still use it for dry lawns and sheep pasture today.