elephant grass

American  

noun

1. napier grass.

2. a cattail, Typha elephantina, of southern Asia, used for making rope and baskets.

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elephant grass British  

noun

1. any of various stout tropical grasses or grasslike plants, esp Pennisetum purpureum, and Typha elephantina, a type of reed mace

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Etymology

Origin of elephant grass

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

They planted vetiver and elephant grass to hold the riverbank in place.

From New York Times • Apr. 27, 2023

Jasmine gasped as she caught sight of three people on foot, stranded between billowing walls of flame devouring the haole koa and the towering stands of dry elephant grass.

From Slate • Nov. 27, 2021

"At about 10:00 hours we were patrolling through elephant grass, which is roughly seven feet in height and visibility is limited," he said.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2021

Plowing through thick elephant grass on the first day of the mission, Mate said, he felt calm and fearless.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 22, 2017

His family gave him a traditional Zande funeral and left his body under a mound of stones in a clearing of elephant grass.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston