tussock

[tuhs-uh k]

See more synonyms for tussock on Thesaurus.com

noun

a tuft or clump of growing grass or the like.

Origin of tussock

1540–50; apparently akin to Middle High German zūsach thicket, derivative of zūse lock (of hair), brushwood. See -ock

Related formstus·socked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for tussock

group, shock, collection, cluster, knot, bunch, cowlick, topknot, feathers, ruff, plumage, tussock

Examples from the Web for tussock

Historical Examples of tussock

It is built upon a tussock; and a tussock—did you ever try to pull up a tussock?
The Fall of the Year
Dallas Lore Sharp
It was placed high and dry on a tussock in a flaming patch of hawkweed.
In the Open
Stanton Davis Kirkham
They were sitting close to each other on a tussock behind their little tent.
When Egypt Went Broke
Holman Day
The larva of this insect feeds on the tussock grass (Poa australis).
New Zealand Moths and Butterflies
G. V. Hudson
It flies amongst the tussock grass in a weak and aimless manner.
New Zealand Moths and Butterflies
G. V. Hudson

British Dictionary definitions for tussock

tussock

noun

a dense tuft of vegetation, esp of grass
Australian and NZ
1. short for tussock grass
2. the tussockcountry where tussock grass grows

Derived Formstussocky, adjective

Word Origin for tussock

C16: perhaps related to tusk

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

Word Origin and History for tussock

1540s, "tuft of hair," of uncertain origin; cf. earlier tusk (1520s) with the same meaning (and also of obscure origin). Meaning "tuft of grass" is first recorded c.1600.