mossy

[maw-see, mos-ee]

adjective

mossier, mossiest 

1. overgrown with or abounding in moss.

   a mossy stone.

2. covered with a mosslike growth.

3. appearing as if covered with moss.

4. resembling moss.

   a mossy softness.

5. old or outdated; antiquated.

   mossy ideas.

Other Word Forms

• mossiness noun
• unmossy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mossy¹

First recorded in 1540–50; moss + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Each one of our steps leaves deep footprints in the browning sand, another imperfection along with the streaks of dirt, tufts of grass, and collections of mossy rocks on the beach.

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Once in her nightgown she slipped under the comforter, which was soft and mossy green as a forest floor.

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He pounded his cane into the mossy ground.

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He followed a path through the undergrowth, passing old trees and mossy stones and thick brambles, and he stopped in a small clearing.

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Their brains also contained more "mossy cells" within the hippocampus, a region essential for learning and memory.

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