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Webster 1913 Edition


Tussock

Tus′sock

,
Noun.
[From
Tuz
.]
[Written also
tussuck
.]
1.
A tuft, as of grass, twigs, hair, or the like; especially, a dense tuft or bunch of grass or sedge.
Such laying of the hair in
tussocks
and tufts.
Latimer.
2.
(Bot.)
Same as
Tussock grass
, below.
3.
(Zool.)
A caterpillar of any one of numerous species of bombycid moths. The body of these caterpillars is covered with hairs which form long tufts or brushes. Some species are very injurious to shade and fruit trees. Called also
tussock caterpillar
. See
Orgyia
.
Tussock grass
.
(Bot.)
(a)
A tall, strong grass of the genus
Dactylis
(
Dactylis caespitosa
), valuable for fodder, introduced into Scotland from the Falkland Islands.
(b)
A tufted grass (
Aira caespitosa
).
(c)
Any kind of sedge (
Carex
) which forms dense tufts in a wet meadow or boggy place.
Tussock moth
(Zool.)
,
the imago of any tussock caterpillar. They belong to
Orgyia
,
Halecidota
, and allied genera.

Definition 2024


tussock

tussock

English

Noun

tussock (plural tussocks)

  1. A tuft or clump of green grass or similar verdure, forming a small hillock.

Derived terms

Translations