cattail

[ kat-teyl ]

/ ˈkætˌteɪl /

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noun

any tall, reedlike marsh plant of the genus Typha, especially T. latifolia, having long, sword-shaped leaves and dense, cylindrical clusters of minute brown flowers.

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Also called bulrush, reed mace.

Origin of cattail

First recorded in 1425–75, cattail is from the late Middle English word cattestail.See cat, tail¹

Words nearby cattail

catsup, cat's whisker, cat's whiskers, Catt, cat tackle, cattail, cattalo, Cattegat, Cattell, Catterick, cattery

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

How to use cattail in a sentence

The common cattail is found in the Lower 48, as well as throughout southern Alaska and Canada.
13 edible plants you can still find in the winter|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 1, 2020|Popular-Science
Only starving people tried to make food from cattail seeds and the inner bark of slippery elm and willow trees.
Shaman|Robert Shea
Perched upon a swaying last year's cattail, Mr. Red-winged Blackbird shook his head in reply.
The Tale of Bobby Bobolink|Arthur Scott Bailey
Nests are placed on the ground surface, in cover of marsh grass, cattail, or sedge.
The Breeding Birds of Kansas|Richard F. Johnston

Nests are placed within a few feet of water in cattail, rush, sedge, and willow.
The Breeding Birds of Kansas|Richard F. Johnston
The nativs of this neighbourhood eate the root of the Cattail or Cooper's flag.
The Journals of Lewis and Clark|Meriwether Lewis and William Clark

British Dictionary definitions for cattail

cat-tail

cattail

noun Canadian

another word for bulrush

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