noun
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any grass of the genus Alopecurus , esp A. pratensis , of Europe, Asia, and South America, having soft cylindrical spikes of flowers: cultivated as a pasture grass
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any of various similar and related grasses, esp any of the genus Setaria
Etymology
Origin of foxtail
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at fox, tail 1
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.
The analysis showed average air temperatures below 66 or above 77 degrees Fahrenheit made fomesafen, glyphosate, and mesotrione -- representing three herbicide sites of action -- less effective on waterhemp, giant foxtail, and morning-glory species.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024
Another tried to hide a plush blanket that was covered in foxtail seeds, ruined by an impromptu picnic.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 30, 2021
They are targeting Johnson grass, giant foxtail, Canada thistle, nodding thistle, common teasel, multiflora rose, Amur honeysuckle, poison hemlock, marestail, Japanese knotweed and kudzu.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 18, 2021
His compositions might consist of a single branch with a cluster of moss green dwarf chestnuts, or loose stems of pale water lilies or a spray of feathery foxtail barley.
From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2020
Around 1200 B.C., toward the end of the Jomon period, a few grains of rice, barley, foxtail millet, and broomcorn millet, the staple cereals of East Asia, began to appear.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
