tussock

American  

[tuhs-uhk] / ˈtʌs ək /

noun

1. a tuft or clump of growing grass or the like.

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tussock British  

/ ˈtʌsək /

noun

1. a dense tuft of vegetation, esp of grass

2. 1. short for tussock grass

   2. country where tussock grass grows

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Other Word Forms

• tussocked adjective
• tussocky adjective

Etymology

Origin of tussock

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

Example Sentences

After another jolting ride along an undulating, sandy path, we set out up the west slope at 11:15 p.m., trudging through the tussocks and powdery dark ash.

From New York Times

“It could be big tussocks just like a couple of years ago, and it could be a brutal run, you know, with the rolling hills and possibly barren tundra.”

From Seattle Times

It revealed that prime night parrot habitat in Queensland consisted of areas of tussock grass called triodia that had been long untouched by fire, and close to water sources and seed-rich floodplains.

From New York Times

The man was navigating off-piste when he slipped in tussocks of grass.

From BBC

The most conspicuous type of these, the beleaguered bumblebee, doesn’t inhabit bee houses but nests together in the ground, old mouse nests and even tussocks of grass.

From Washington Post