Thatch

¹ American  

[thach] / θætʃ /

noun

1. Edward. Teach, Edward.

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thatch ² American  

[thach] / θætʃ /

noun

1. Also a material, as straw, rushes, leaves, or the like, used to cover roofs, grain stacks, etc.

2. a covering of such a material.

3. the leaves of various palms that are used for thatching.

4. something resembling thatch on a roof, especially thick hair covering the head.

   a thatch of unruly red hair.

5. Horticulture. a tightly bound layer of dead grass, including leaves, stems, and roots, that builds up on the soil surface at the base of the living grass of a lawn.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cover with or as if with thatch.

2. Horticulture. to remove thatch from (a lawn); dethatch.

thatch British  

/ θætʃ /

noun

1. 1. Also called: thatching.  a roofing material that consists of straw, reed, etc

   2. a roof made of such a material

2. anything resembling this, such as the hair of the head

3. Also called: thatch palm.  any of various palms with leaves suitable for thatching

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verb

1. to cover (a roof) with thatch

Other Word Forms

• rethatch verb (used with object)
• thatcher noun
• thatchless adjective
• thatchy adjective

Etymology

Origin of thatch

before 900; (v.) Middle English thacchen, variant (with a from thak > dial. thack ) of thecchen, Old English theccan to cover, hide; cognate with Dutch dekken ( deck ), German decken, Old Norse thekja; (noun) Middle English thacche, variant (with ch from the v.) of thak

Example Sentences

Zach’s not much taller than me and has this thatch of reddish-brown hair that sticks up all over the place.

From Literature

It evokes a thatched hut, a giant upturned basket and, especially, a vacant, human-size cage—a trap in want of prey.

From The Wall Street Journal

Surrounded by floodwaters, their hamlet of thatch and mud homes had been battling a massive outbreak of cholera, a deadly disease spread by poor sanitation.

From Salon

The homes are filled with quirky leaded glass windows, uneven angles and heaps of wood shingles, resembling a thatched straw roof.

From Los Angeles Times

Today, Mr. Fox writes, there are merely “300 thatched buildings left in the whole of Scotland, and just three Highland thatchers capable of maintaining them.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• eyebrow
• fiber
• fur
• grass
• haircut
• hairstyle
• mane
• sideburn
• strand
• wig
• wool