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fescue

American  
[fes-kyoo] / ˈfɛs kju /

noun

  1. Also called fescue grass.  any grass of the genus Festuca, some species of which are cultivated for pasture or lawns.

  2. a pointer, as a straw or slender stick, used to point out the letters in teaching children to read.


fescue British  
/ ˈfɛskjuː /

noun

  1. any grass of the genus Festuca : widely cultivated as pasture and lawn grasses, having stiff narrow leaves See also meadow fescue sheep's fescue

"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

Etymology

Origin of fescue

1350–1400; earlier festue, Middle English festu < Middle French < Vulgar Latin *festūcum, for Latin festūca stalk, straw

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Wispy fescue and undulating and fast greens add further layers of complexity to Shinnecock's fearsome reputation.

From BBC Jun. 18, 2026

Which means I am simultaneously very proud of showing off my lawn, but I also can’t bear watching you grind your dirty claws into my precious fescue.

From The Wall Street Journal Nov. 26, 2025

Traditional turf grasses like tall fescue and Bermuda were developed for two purposes — “to withstand persistent low mowing and regular traffic,” Baird said.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 30, 2024

In Canada, a pasture mix of yarrow, white clover and Rocky Mountain fescue experienced less intense and slower-moving fires than those that burned through nearby grasslands.

From Salon Nov. 1, 2023

From the mix of green leaves and stems, a cow can easily pick out a tuft of emerald green clover next to a spray of bluish green fescue.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

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