Moss

¹

[maws, mos]

noun

1. Howard, 1922–1987, U.S. poet, editor, and playwright.

moss

²

[maws, mos]

noun

1. any tiny, leafy-stemmed, flowerless plant of the class Musci, reproducing by spores and growing in tufts, sods, or mats on moist ground, tree trunks, rocks, etc.

2. a growth of such plants.

3. any of various similar plants, as Iceland moss or club moss.

4. Chiefly Scot. and North England.,  a swamp or bog.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover with a growth of moss.

   to moss a crumbling wall.

Moss

¹

/ mɒs /

noun

1. Kate . born 1974, British supermodel.

2. Sir Stirling. born 1929, English racing driver

moss

²

/ mɒs /

noun

1. any bryophyte of the phylum Bryophyta , typically growing in dense mats on trees, rocks, moist ground, etc See also peat moss

2. a clump or growth of any of these plants

3. any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as club moss, Spanish moss, Ceylon moss, rose moss, and reindeer moss

4. a peat bog or marsh

moss

1. Any of various green, usually small nonvascular plants of the division Bryophyta. Mosses, unlike liverworts, have some tissues specialized for conducting water and nutrients. As in the other bryophytes, the diploid sporophyte grows on the haploid gametophyte generation, which supplies it with nutrients. Mosses often live in moist, shady areas and grow in clusters or mats. Sphagnum mosses play a crucial role in the ecology of peat bogs.

2. See more at bryophyte

3. Any of a number of plants that look like mosses but are not related to them. For instance, reindeer moss is a lichen, Irish moss is an alga, and Spanish moss is a bromeliad, a flowering plant.

Other Word Forms

• mosslike adjective
• unmossed adjective
• mossy adjective
• mossiness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of moss¹

before 1000; Middle English mos ( se ), Old English mos moss, bog; akin to German Moos, Old Norse mȳrr mire

Word History and Origins

Origin of moss¹

Old English mos swamp; compare Middle Dutch, Old High German mos bog, Old Norse mosi; compare also Old Norse mӯrr _mire

Idioms and Phrases

see rolling stone gathers no moss.

Example Sentences

Their remarkable durability led researchers to test moss sporophytes, the reproductive structures that hold spores, in an even harsher setting: outer space.

Read more on Science Daily

Start with the adorably strange tardigrades, or “moss piglets,” with their chubby bodies and eight fat legs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The evening breeze carries the smell of brine and moss.

Read more on Literature

Thick green moss grew over the hollow like a stage curtain; one would never know the tree had such a hiding place within.

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The earth was springy with moss, and a white-throated warbler chirped merrily from somewhere nearby.

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