horsetail

American  

[hawrs-teyl] / ˈhɔrsˌteɪl /

noun

1. Also called scouring rush.  any nonflowering plant of the genus Equisetum, having hollow, jointed stems.

2. a horse's tail formerly used as a Turkish military standard or as an ensign of a pasha, the number of tails increasing with the rank.

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horsetail British  

/ ˈhɔːsˌteɪl /

noun

1. any tracheophyte plant of the genus Equisetum , having jointed stems with whorls of small dark toothlike leaves and producing spores within conelike structures at the tips of the stems: phylum Sphenophyta

2. a stylized horse's tail formerly used as the emblem of a pasha, the number of tails increasing with rank

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horsetail Scientific  

/ hôrs′tāl′ /

1. A member of a genus, Equisetum, of seedless vascular plants having a jointed hollow stem and narrow, sometimes much reduced leaves. Plants extremely similar to modern horsetails are known from fossils 300 million years old. The horsetails are the last surviving members of the phylum Sphenophyta, which dominated the forests of the Devonian and Carboniferous periods.

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Etymology

Origin of horsetail

First recorded in 1350–1400, horsetail is from Middle English horse tayle. See horse, tail ¹

Example Sentences

Fossil horsetails, which once grew up to 30 meters tall, contain tiny silica particles called phytoliths.

From Science Daily

The animal belongs to a herd of hefty herbivores who spend their days lumbering through an open landscape of conifers and gingkos, horsetails and monkey puzzle trees.

From Los Angeles Times

Fire is bad for all animals, but the first plants that come back, benefiting from openings in the tree canopy, are really good food for bears: huckleberry, cow parsnip and horsetail, to name a few.

From Seattle Times

Because horsetail even comes up through blacktop, imagine how quickly it works its way through cardboard.

From Seattle Times

It’s fast and energetic; dancers hold pieces of horsetail, which they use to cut and slice through space with sharp, unified fervor.

From New York Times