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

Explanation

A tussock is a clump or tuft of something, like the tussock of grass at the top of a hill. Your grandpa might have an entirely bald head except for the tussock of gray on top of it, and your yard might consist of dandelions and one tussock of tall grass. It's most common to use this noun, in fact, for grass that sprouts taller than the surrounding growth. When tussock was originally used, in the 1540s, it meant "a tuft of hair." Its origin is uncertain.

Example Sentences

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 • Jan. 4, 2022

The white hickory tussock moth caterpillar has been spotted in the central part of the state, according to KDKA.

From Fox News • Nov. 1, 2018

The hilly outcrop covered in golden tussock and native trees boasts uninterrupted views, across sometime placid waters, of New Zealand’s snow-capped Southern Alps.

From The Guardian • Feb. 16, 2017

The endemic Cobb’s wren hides in the towering tussock grass.

From Washington Post • Sep. 1, 2016

They sailed ahead and by three o’clock could make out the faint patches of green tussock grass that grew among the snowy rocks.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong