cogon

[ koh-gohn ]

/ koʊˈgoʊn /

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noun

a tall, coarse grass, Imperata cylindrica, of the tropics and subtropics, used widely for thatching.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of cogon

1895–1900; <Spanish <Tagalog kugon

Words nearby cogon

cognomen, cognoscenti, cognoscible, cognoscitive, cognovit, cogon, cog railway, Cogswell chair, cogwheel, cohab, cohabit

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

How to use cogon in a sentence

The cogon grass in this river bottom was the tallest I ever saw, some clumps being well over twenty feet high.
The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon From Ifugao to Kalinga|Cornelis De Witt Willcox
Then the people gathered together, and took one plate and five leaves of cogon grass and made a ceremony.
Kankanay Ceremonies|C. R. Moss
Here the way was choked with rank cogon grass, growing from eight to twelve feet high.
Boy Scouts in the Philippines|G. Harvey Ralphson
They stopped a moment in consultation; then Pedro slid smoothly through the cogon toward the camp.
Caybigan|James Hopper

Then the horse rustled softly through the high cogon, struck the road again below the house, galloped off in sudden clatter.
Caybigan|James Hopper

British Dictionary definitions for cogon

cogon

/ (ˈkəʊɡəʊn) /

noun

any of the coarse tropical grasses of the genus Imperata, esp I. cylindrica and I. exaltata of the Philippines, which are used for thatching

Word Origin for cogon

from Spanish cogón, from Tagalog kugon

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