mulch
[muhlch]
noun
a covering, as of straw, compost, or plastic sheeting, spread on the ground around plants to prevent excessive evaporation or erosion, enrich the soil, inhibit weed growth, etc.
verb (used with object)
to cover with mulch.
Origin of mulch
1650–60; noun use of obsolete mulch (adj.), Middle English molsh soft, Old English myl(i)sc mellow; cognate with dialectal German molsch soft, overripe
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for mulch
Historical Examples of mulch
Some use tobacco stems as a mulch about Asters instead of manure.
The Mayflower, January, 1905Various
To provide a mulch of dry soil so as to prevent the evaporation of moisture.
Agriculture for BeginnersCharles William Burkett
They should have a summer mulch to intercept the radiation of moisture from the soil.
Making a Garden of PerennialsW. C. Egan
The only available material for a mulch in most instances is the soil itself.
The early clipping and the mulch cause increase in yield of seed.
mulch
noun
verb
Word Origin for mulch
C17: from obsolete mulch soft; related to Old English mylisc mellow; compare dialect German molsch soft, Latin mollis soft
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