sword grass
- noun
:
hierba espada
- The sharp leaves of the sword grass can easily cut through skin if handled carelessly.
Examples
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Some animals avoid areas where sword grass grows because of its razor-like leaves.
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In the tropical marshes, sword grass thrives and forms dense thickets along the water's edge.
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The sword grass cut my leg as I walked through the field.
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Many sword grasses thrive in wetland areas.
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In the tropical marshes, sword grass thrives and forms dense thickets along the water's edge.
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Some animals avoid areas where sword grass grows because of its razor-like leaves.
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The sharp leaves of the sword grass can easily cut through skin if handled carelessly.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase denotes a type of grass whose leaves resemble a sword; this meaning is directly and transparently built from 'sword' (blade-like) + 'grass' (plant). Noun–noun compounding with a descriptive first element is a common, predictable pattern cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The noun sword grass comes from its long, narrow leaves: the grass has leaves like a sword blade. Because those sharp leaves can cut like a 'small sword', the name helps you remember it means a grass with very sharp, blade-like edges.
