mulch

[ muhlch ]
See synonyms for: mulchmulchedmulching on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a covering, as of straw, compost, or plastic sheeting, spread on the ground around plants to prevent excessive evaporation or erosion, enrich the soil, inhibit weed growth, etc.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cover with mulch.

Origin of mulch

1
1650–60; noun use of obsolete mulch (adj.), Middle English molsh soft, Old English myl(i)sc mellow; cognate with dialectal German molsch soft, overripe

Other words from mulch

  • non·mulched, adjective

Words Nearby mulch

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use mulch in a sentence

  • Other plants may be able to get along with a mulch of grass-clippings from the lawn.

    Amateur Gardencraft | Eben E. Rexford
  • Others advise leaving the clippings to act as a sort of mulch.

    Amateur Gardencraft | Eben E. Rexford
  • It is perennial and hardy in the northern states, but it is advisable to give it a mulch on the approach of winter.

  • Into the heavy borders about the boundaries of the place the autumn leaves will drift and afford an excellent mulch.

  • When it is impossible to furnish water, it would be a good plan to mulch heavily with straw or some other substance.

British Dictionary definitions for mulch

mulch

/ (mʌltʃ) /


noun
  1. half-rotten vegetable matter, peat, etc, used to prevent soil erosion or enrich the soil

verb
  1. (tr) to cover (the surface of land) with mulch

Origin of mulch

1
C17: from obsolete mulch soft; related to Old English mylisc mellow; compare dialect German molsch soft, Latin mollis soft

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012