moss

[ maws, mos ]

/ mɔs, mɒs /

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noun

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.

a growth of such plants.

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

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

verb (used with object)

to cover with a growth of moss: to moss a crumbling wall.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of moss

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

OTHER WORDS FROM moss

mosslike, adjectiveun·mossed, adjective

Words nearby moss

mosquito fleet, mosquito fly, mosquito hawk, mosquito net, mosquito netting, moss, Mossad, Mossadegh, moss agate, moss animal, mossback

Other definitions for moss (2 of 2)

Moss

[ maws, mos ]

/ mɔs, mɒs /

noun

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use moss in a sentence

The more the virus replicates, the more opportunity it has to evolve around existing vaccines or natural immune responses to older variants, Moss says.
Global inequity in COVID-19 vaccination is more than a moral problem|Jonathan Lambert|February 26, 2021|Science News
Moss provides credit cards and a spending platform to small and medium businesses in Germany.
Corporate credit card platform Moss raises $25.5 million|Romain Dillet|January 15, 2021|TechCrunch
It’s Louisiana, so there’s some moss and the occasional palm tree.
Heisman winner DeVonta Smith puts tiny town of Amite City in the spotlight|Chuck Culpepper|January 7, 2021|Washington Post
With Moss’s guidance, they both leap wittily from animation to three dimensions.
Judy and Mickey would have loved the TikTok ‘Ratatouille’ — 2021’s answer to ‘Let’s put on a show!’|Peter Marks|January 2, 2021|Washington Post

So for many tens of millions of years, plants on land had to be happy sticking like moss to the surfaces of rocks.
Why Birds Can Fly Over Mount Everest - Issue 94: Evolving|Walter Murch|December 30, 2020|Nautilus
In New York, district attorneys have a tendency to grow moss-bound in their roles.
Meet Dan Donovan, the Prosecutor Who Let Eric Garner’s Killer Walk|David Freedlander|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They agreed to let McKell and Moss join their tribe for a few days.
London’s Pagan Counterculture Kings|Justin Jones|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By the time the CFDA awards rolled round in early 1994, Moss was a bona fide star.
Sex, Drugs, and Kate Moss: Secrets of a Wild Supermodel|Tom Sykes|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Callahan claims that within weeks of leaving the Priory, Moss “got back on drugs.”
Sex, Drugs, and Kate Moss: Secrets of a Wild Supermodel|Tom Sykes|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He pops from the screen as a charismatic, occasionally messianic “human prism,” as Moss calls him.
The Pastor Who Scandalized His Town|Lloyd Grove|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He walked about, stumbling over sticks and stones and stumps, sometimes falling down on soft moss, and again on the hard ground.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
It was the home that had sheltered her orphan childhood; she had never slept a night from under its moss-grown roof.
The World Before Them|Susanna Moodie
The large soft leaves and the pendent moss of the oaks were gray with dust, but the shade was cool and delicious.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Studying it very carefully, he thought he made out "Mrs." before the moss-blurred name.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
Jess quickly found a dry spot thick with moss between two stones.
The Box-Car Children|Gertrude Chandler Warner

British Dictionary definitions for moss (1 of 2)

moss

/ (mɒs) /

noun

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

a clump or growth of any of these plants

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

Scot and Northern English a peat bog or marsh

Derived forms of moss

mosslike, adjectivemossy, adjectivemossiness, noun

Word Origin for moss

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

British Dictionary definitions for moss (2 of 2)

Moss

/ (mɒs) /

noun

Kate . born 1974, British supermodel.

Sir Stirling. born 1929, English racing driver

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

Scientific definitions for moss

moss

[ môs ]

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. See more at bryophyte.

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 Idioms and Phrases with moss

moss

see rolling stone gathers no moss.

moss

Origin of moss

OTHER WORDS FROM moss

Words nearby moss

Other definitions for moss (2 of 2)

Words related to moss

How to use moss in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for moss (1 of 2)

Derived forms of moss

Word Origin for moss

British Dictionary definitions for moss (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for moss

Other Idioms and Phrases with moss