mulch

[muhlch]

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.

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

Other Word Forms

• nonmulched adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mulch¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of mulch¹

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

Example Sentences

It starts with the coca leaf, which is mulched into a paste and mixed with chemicals.

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They brought portable weather stations and sensors, as well as swatches of different paving materials such as grass, mulch, turf, rubber and concrete to each site.

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For months, it was just prep work: sheet mulching, teaching and more sheet mulching.

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There are simpler and safer uses for this wood waste, these critics say: fertilizer for agriculture, wood chips and mulch.

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Despite that, troops are expected to remain in the nation's capital for the foreseeable future, and many of them can be seen around the city helping with trash collection and mulching.

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Related Words

• compost 
• manure