Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of several grasses of the genus Alopecurus, having dense, silky or bristly flowering spikes.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The tail of a fox. It was anciently one of the badges of a fool. [Properly fox-tail.]
- n. 2. One of various species of grass with soft brush-like spikes of flowers, especially of the genus Alopecurus, and also of the genera Setaria and (in Jamaica) Andropogon. The meadow-foxtail, is Alopecurus pratensis; the slender foxtail A. agrestis; the water-foxtail, A. geniculatus; the bristly foxtail Setaria glauca; and the green foxtail, S. viridis. Also
foxtail-grass . - n. A club-moss, Lycopodium clavatum. [Prov. Eng.]
- n. In metal., the cinder, of a more or less cylindrical from and hollow in the center, obtained in the last stage of the charcoal-finery process.
Wiktionary
- n. The tail of a fox.
- n. Any of various grasses having bushy seed spikelets that resemble the tail of a fox; particularly members of the genera Alopecurus and Setaria.
- n. Any bushy seed spikelet.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The tail or brush of a fox.
- n. (Bot.) The name of several kinds of grass having a soft dense head of flowers, mostly the species of Alopecurus and Setaria.
- n. (Metal.) The last cinders obtained in the fining process.
WordNet 3.0
- n. grasses of the genera Alopecurus and Setaria having dense silky or bristly brushlike flowering spikes
Etymologies
- fox + tail (Wiktionary)
Examples
“- Grab a foxtail from the side of the pond before you leave.”
“On the Hot Creek, White Pine, and Golden Gate ranges we find a still hardier and more picturesque species, called the foxtail pine, from its long dense leaf-tassels.”
“The researchers also studied temperatures by looking at high-elevation trees, called foxtail pines, near Giant Forest.”
“There are many wonderful selections, such as foxtail lilies, daffodils, peonies, however, be sure if you make a selection, note whether or not it will grow in Zone 8, irises, amaryllis, and many more.”
“What we won't see until next year, and for the next five-seven years, is the result of an abundance of annual weeds, such as foxtail, mustard and ragweed.”
“Most of the proofs are based on biological or historical evidence - but I did find one etymological aspect: while many claim that the name "shibolet shual" comes the spike, shibolet, of plant looking like the tail of a fox, shual, (and we find the phrase "foxtail" with a similar meaning in English), Feliks believes that the name comes from the fact that foxes like eating the softer two-rowed barley more than other grains, in the same way that invei shual ענבי”
“Fountain grass forms foxtail flowers in the fall, and these plumes wave over the foliage for three months or more.”
“Sara 7:52 pm: And axe and the foxtail are overused costume bits, often inappropriately used”
“I saw the words: tropes, foxtail and battle axe and wonder what they have to do with steampunk.”
“Rhynchostylis retusa, foxtail orchid, by Buddhini Samarasinghe — Plant is native to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India.”
Photography Contest: Finalists, Threatened or Endangered - The Panda's Thumb
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘foxtail’.
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Grasses
Grasses, and words about grasses.
Prairie grasses names are found in this list.
Names of medical marijuana strains can be found elsewhere.cheatgrass, downy brome, chess, brome, bronco-grass, graminoid, grassland, phytolith, steppe, tallgrass prairie, sword grass, panicle and 323 more...
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The Oddympics
Unjustly obscure traditional games (and others that aren't so traditional just yet...)
rhubarb thrashing, dwile flonking, conga cuddling, aunt sally, bat and trap, ringing the bull, cheese rolling, gurning, dry foam flinging, snail racing, hockern, finger jousting and 65 more...
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Flora
fenugreek, verbena, saxifrage, arbutus, calendula, nasturtium, lobelia, hellebore, rhododendron, philodendron, bellflower, heuchera and 449 more...
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Fun
harangue, quixotic, persnickety, lachrymose, kerfuffle, zephyr, chthonic, vixen, fiend, scoundrel, cricket, belfry and 193 more...
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Pining away
norfolk, loblolly, slash, white, siberian dwarf, sugar, monterey, lodgepole, pitch, yellow, screw, wollemi and 20 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for foxtail.
frindley Throw it, catch it – but only by the tail. Foxtail is about the only ball game I've ever truly enjoyed. Nov 30, 2008