sparrowgrass

[spar-oh-gras, -grahs]

noun

Informal.

1. asparagus.

sparrowgrass

/ ˈspærəʊˌɡrɑːs /

noun

1. a dialect or popular name for asparagus

Word History and Origins

Origin of sparrowgrass¹

First recorded in 1650–60; by folk etymology

Word History and Origins

Origin of sparrowgrass¹

C17: variant of _asparagus , associated by folk etymology with _sparrow and _grass

Example Sentences

I reached for the goblet and trailed my balloon sleeves through the sparrowgrass sauce.

Read more on Literature

“It is my fault,” Father said, cutting into a sparrowgrass spear.

Read more on Literature

A serving maid whisked away my uneaten sparrowgrass and replaced it with scallops and tomato aspic.

Read more on Literature

On Father’s plate and mine was sparrowgrass covered with a tarragon-mustard sauce.

Read more on Literature

We see him discovering samphire, the salty sea-asparagus, or “sparrowgrass,” of Norfolk mud flats—a contradictory plant dependent on sweeping tides, which gathers silt and sand in its stems and creates dry land on which it cannot grow.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal