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grass

[gras, grahs]
noun
  1. any plant of the family Gramineae, having jointed stems, sheathing leaves, and seedlike grains.Compare grass family.
  2. such plants collectively, as when cultivated in lawns or used as pasture for grazing animals or cut and dried as hay.
  3. the grass-covered ground.
  4. pasture: Half the farm is grass.
  5. Slang. marijuana.
  6. grasses, stalks or sprays of grass: filled with dried grasses.
  7. the season of the new growth of grass.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to cover with grass or turf.
  2. to feed with growing grass; pasture.
  3. to lay (something) on the grass, as for the purpose of bleaching.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to feed on growing grass; graze.
  2. to produce grass; become covered with grass.
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Idioms
  1. go to grass, to retire from one's occupation or profession: Many executives lack a sense of purpose after they have gone to grass.
  2. let the grass grow under one's feet, to delay action, progress, etc.; become slack in one's efforts.
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Origin of grass

before 900; Middle English gras, Old English græs; cognate with Dutch, German, Old Norse, Gothic gras; akin to grow, green
Related formsgrass·less, adjectivegrass·like, adjectivegrass·ward, grass·wards, adverb, adjectiveun·der·grass, nounun·grassed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for let the grass grow under one's feet

grass

noun
  1. any monocotyledonous plant of the family Poaceae (formerly Gramineae), having jointed stems sheathed by long narrow leaves, flowers in spikes, and seedlike fruits. The family includes cereals, bamboo, etc
  2. such plants collectively, in a lawn, meadow, etcRelated adjectives: gramineous, verdant
  3. any similar plant, such as knotgrass, deergrass, or scurvy grass
  4. ground on which such plants grow; a lawn, field, etc
  5. ground on which animals are grazed; pasture
  6. a slang word for marijuana
  7. British slang a person who informs, esp on criminals
  8. short for sparrowgrass
  9. get off the grass NZ informal an exclamation of disbelief
  10. let the grass grow under one's feet to squander time or opportunity
  11. put out to grass
    1. to retire (a racehorse)
    2. informalto retire (a person)
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verb
  1. to cover or become covered with grass
  2. to feed or be fed with grass
  3. (tr) to spread (cloth) out on grass for drying or bleaching in the sun
  4. (tr) sport to knock or bring down (an opponent)
  5. (tr) to shoot down (a bird)
  6. (tr) to land (a fish) on a river bank
  7. (intr usually foll by on) British slang to inform, esp to the police
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See also grass up
Derived Formsgrassless, adjectivegrasslike, adjective

Word Origin for grass

Old English græs; related to Old Norse, Gothic, Old High German gras, Middle High German gruose sap

Grass

noun
  1. Günter (Wilhelm) (ˈɡyntər). born 1927, German novelist, dramatist, and poet. His novels include The Tin Drum (1959), Dog Years (1963), The Rat (1986), Crabwalk (2002), and Peeling the Onion (2007). Nobel prize for literature 1999
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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

Word Origin and History for let the grass grow under one's feet

grass

n.

Old English græs, gærs "herb, plant, grass," from Proto-Germanic grasan (cf. Old Norse, Old Saxon, Dutch, Old High German, German, Gothic gras, Swedish gräs), from PIE *ghros- "young shoot, sprout," from root *ghre- "to grow, become green" (related to grow and green).

As a color name (especially grass-green, Old English græsgrene) by c.1300. Sense of "marijuana" is first recorded 1938, American English. Hawaiian grass skirt attested from 1937; keep off the grass by 1850.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
let the grass grow under one's feet in Science

grass

[grăs]
  1. Any of a large family (Gramineae or Poaceae) of monocotyledonous plants having narrow leaves, hollow stems, and clusters of very small, usually wind-pollinated flowers. Grasses include many varieties of plants grown for food, fodder, and ground cover. Wheat, maize, sugar cane, and bamboo are grasses. See more at leaf.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with let the grass grow under one's feet

let the grass grow under one's feet

see don't let the grass grow under one's feet.

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grass

In addition to the idioms beginning with grass

  • grass is always greener on the other side, the
  • grass widow

also see:

  • don't let the grass grow under one's feet
  • put out to grass
  • snake in the grass
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.