canary grass

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noun

any of various grasses of the genus Phalaris, as P. canariensis, native to the Canary Islands, bearing seed used as food for cage birds, or P. arundinacea(reed canary grass ), used throughout the Northern Hemisphere as fodder.

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Origin of canary grass

First recorded in 1660–70

Words nearby canary grass

Canarese, Canaries Current, canary, canarybird flower, canary creeper, canary grass, Canary Islands, canary seed, canary yellow, canasta, canaster

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use canary grass in a sentence

The one caveat: Asprey advises only buying butter made from grass-fed or pastured cows.
Bulletproof Coffee and the Case for Butter as a Health Food|DailyBurn|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A tugboat improbably sits high on the bank, obscured by tall grass, a broken oil rig hangs over the water nearby.
The Congo's Forgotten Colonial Getaway|Nina Strochlic|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thus far, the most talked-about Green Friday hotspot is Denver dispensary the Grass Station.
Colorado Weed Dispensaries Celebrate ‘Green Friday’|Abby Haglage|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I really turned on in particular to James Joyce, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Günter Grass.
James Patterson Goes Full ‘Fahrenheit 451’ With Burning Book Video|William O’Connor|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As they passed the runway, bullets shot up from the tall grass, puncturing a fuel tank.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis|Nina Strochlic|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The grass had a delightful fragrance, like new-mown hay, and was neatly wound around the tunnel, like the inside of a bird's-nest.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
She threw out her arms as if swimming when she walked, beating the tall grass as one strikes out in the water.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The weed growing over every water, and at the bank of the river, shall be pulled up before all grass.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Everywhere cattle were being sold for a trifle, as there was no grass upon which they could feed.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
We squatted in the long grass and buck-brush, listening, and a few seconds later heard a horse snort distinctly.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for canary grass

canary grass

noun

any of various grasses of the genus Phalaris, esp P. canariensis, that is native to Europe and N Africa and has straw-coloured seeds used as birdseed

reed canary grass a related plant, Phalaris arundinacea, used as fodder throughout the N hemisphere

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