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sweetgrass

sweetgrass

1 7.4
A fragrant grass that people braid or burn in ceremonies for its sweet smell
  • noun
  • /ˈswitˌɡræs/
  • US
: hierba dulce
  • During the ceremony, the participants burned sweetgrass to purify the space.
  • sweetgrass basket

Examples

  • The soothing aroma of sweetgrass filled the air as it was braided for the ritual.

  • She watched the water easily transform the sweetgrass from brittle and dry to supple and sinuous.

    Academic text (2009)
  • It's like being unable to rejoice in the song of birds, the smell of sweetgrass, or the taste of an apple.

    Blog text (33)
  • Suzette dampened the sweetgrass to make it pliable.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Ivy's granddaughter Anne had gathered the women together in her home to weave sweetgrass baskets.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Then, through the pervasive aroma of spicy grilled meats, John detected smoldering sweetgrass.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Ivy Giizhig gathered with the other Anishinaabe women in the cool air of the large open-room basement of St. Columba's to make sweetgrass baskets and listen to the words of Father Vincent.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Joe made a cup of fragrant sweetgrass tea before opening that last parcel, expecting one of Grampa Sam's usual dense, multipage, borderline textbook letters filled not with small talk but large ideas; letters that proved the old man was still dedicated to helping educate him.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • She learned how to weave intricate patterns using sweetgrass in the crafting workshop.

Synonyms

sweet grass
vssweetgrass
1 6.9

A grass with a sweet smell that grows near water

is used in ceremonies braided or burned for scent, not as a botanical label

Surface Forms

sweetgrass singular
sweetgrasses plural

Morphology

sweetgrass = sweet + grass (transparent) = sweet + grass

The compound is a straightforward combination of 'sweet' + 'grass', indicating a grass with a sweet/pleasant scent.

Etymology

Sweetgrass is made of the English words sweet and grass, where sweet means 'pleasant smell' and grass shows it is a plant. Many people braid and burn sweetgrass in ceremonies for its scent, so the name now means this fragrant grass often used in rituals and gifts.