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grass: Definition and Much More from Answers.com

  • ️Wed Jul 01 2015

Any of many low, green, nonwoody plants that make up the families Poaceae (or Gramineae), Cyperaceae (sedges), and Juncaceae (rushes). Only the approximately 8,000 – 10,000 species in the family Poaceae are true grasses. They are the most economically important of all flowering plants because of their nutritious grains and soil-forming function, and they are the most widespread and most numerous of plants. The cereal grasses include wheat, corn, rice, rye, oats, barley, and millet. Grasses provide forage for grazing animals, shelter for wildlife, and construction materials, furniture, utensils, and food for humans. Some species are grown as garden ornamentals, cultivated as turf for lawns and recreational areas, or used as cover plants for erosion control. Most have hollow, segmented, round stems, bladelike leaves, and extensively branching fibrous root systems.

For more information on grass, visit Britannica.com.

Cut grass growing on in the Hudson River Park

Tall grass growing wild at Lyme Park

Grass covered house in Iceland.

Grass is a common word that generally describes a monocotyledonous green plant in the family Gramineae (Poaceae). True grasses include most plants grown as grains, for pasture, and for lawns (turf). They include some more specialised crops such as lemongrass, as well as many ornamental plants, and some weeds. They also include plants often not considered to be grasses, such as bamboos.

The term 'grass' is sometimes used to describe related plants in the rush (Juncaceae) and sedge (Cyperaceae) families, that resemble grass somewhat. It may also be used to describe completely unrelated plants, sometimes of similar appearances to grass, with leaves rising vertically from the ground, and sometimes of dissimilar appearance. A single piece of grass is called a blade

Grasses and grass-like plants have proven to be among the most versatile of life forms. Plants having grasslike structures have existed for millions of years, providing fodder for Cretaceous dinosaurs, whose fossilized dung (coprolite) contains phytoliths of a variety of grasses that include the ancestors of rice and bamboo (Piperno & Sues, 2005). Grasses have adapted to conditions in lush rain forests, dry deserts, and cold mountain steppes, and are presently the most widespread of all plant types. Plants of this type have always been important to human beings. They provide the majority of food crops, and have numerous other uses, such as feeding animals, and for lawns. There are numerous minor uses, and grasses are familiar to most human cultures.

Grass and society

In some places, even small areas of grass are valuable. These steps were built to access grass for animal feed. Swiss-Italian region near Bignasco.

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In some places, even small areas of grass are valuable. These steps were built to access grass for animal feed. Swiss-Italian region near Bignasco.

Grasses and grass-like plants have long had significance in human society, having been cultivated as food for domesticated animals for up to 10,000 years. (See grass fed beef.) They have been used for paper-making since at least 2400 BC.

In some places, particularly in suburban areas in the United States, the maintenance of a grass lawn is a sign of a homeowner's responsibility to the overall appearance of their neighborhood. Many municipalities and homeowner's associations have rules about this. Some require lawns to be maintained to certain specifications, sanctioning those who allow the grass to grow too long. In communities with drought problems, watering of lawns may be restricted to certain times of day or days of the week.

Grass is also used in several contexts in sports, most notably with sports played on fields such as football, cricket, baseball, and rugby. In some sports facilities, including indoor domes and places where maintenance of a grass field would be difficult, grass may be replaced with artificial turf, a synthetic grass-like substitute. Two sports, golf and tennis, are only played on real grass, and are particularly dependent on the quality of the grass on which the sport is played.

Tennis play on a grass court of Wimbledon. The player's service area is heavily trodden.

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Tennis play on a grass court of Wimbledon. The player's service area is heavily trodden.

In tennis, grass is grown on very hard-packed soil, and bounces may vary depending on how healthy the grass is, how recently it has been mowed, and the wear and tear of recent play. The most famous grass tennis court in the world is Centre Court at Wimbledon. Tennis, however, is usually played on clay courts, and only a few regular tennis tournaments are played on a grass court. The surface is less firm than hard courts, causing the ball to bounce lower, and so players must reach the ball faster. Due to high maintenance costs however, grass courts are now rare as they must be watered and mowed often, and take a longer time to dry after rain than hard courts.

A sea of neatly cut grass surrounds the bunkers at Filton Golf Club, Bristol, England.

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A sea of neatly cut grass surrounds the bunkers at Filton Golf Club, Bristol, England.

Golf, on the other hand, is always played on grass, and is dependant on the maintenance of a very large area of well-cut grass. Grass on golf courses is kept in three distinct conditions, that of the rough, the fairway, and the putting green. Grass on the fairway is kept very short and even, allowing the player to cleanly strike the ball, while playing from the rough is a disadvantage because the grass in the rough is generally much longer, which may affect the flight of the ball. Grass on the putting is the shortest and most even of all, ideally allowing the ball to slide smoothly over the surface. An entire industry revolves around the development and marketing of grasses for golf courses.

Grass in fiction

Grass plays a central role in two important science fiction catastrophe novels from the 1940s and 1950s, Ward Moore's Greener Than You Think, in which the world is slowly taken over by unstoppable Bermuda Grass, and John Christopher's The Death of Grass, in which a plague that kills off all forms of grass threatens the survival of the human race.

References

  • Chapman, G.P. and W.E. Peat. 1992. An Introduction to the Grasses. CAB Internat., Oxon, UK.
  • Cheplick, G.P. 1998. Population Biology of Grasses. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  • Milne, L. and M. Milne. 1967. Living Plants of the World. Chaticleer Press, N.Y.
  • Soderstrom, T.R., K.W. Hilu, C.S. Campbell, and M.E. Barkworth, eds. 1987. Grass Systematics and Evolution. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
  • Went, Frits W. 1963. The Plants. Time-Life Books, N.Y.

External links

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - græs, marihuana, nellikestiklinger, "stikker"
v. tr. - lægge ud til græs, sætte på græs, nedlægge, midlertidigt afskedige
v. intr. - græsse, sladre om

idioms:

  • grass on    græsse på
  • grass over    dække med græs
  • grass roots    græsrødder
  • grass widow    græsenke, fraskilt kvinde
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    ikke lade tiden gå til spilde
  • out to grass    ikke arbejde længere
  • put out to grass    sætte på græs
  • the grass is (always) greener    græsset er altid grønnere

Nederlands (Dutch)
gras, weiland, verklikker, wiet (drugs), bovengrond (mijn), asperges, met gras bedekken, grazen, tegen de grond slaan, verraden (politie), neerschieten (vogel), op het droge brengen (vis)

Français (French)
n. - (Bot) herbe, gazon (de tennis), herbage, pâture, fourrage, herbe (marijuana), (GB) dénonciateur
v. tr. - mettre en herbe (un champ), enherber, gazonner (un jardin), faire paître, mettre en pacage
v. intr. - se recouvrir d'herbe, pâturer, (GB) moucharder, dénoncer (qn)

idioms:

  • at grass    au vert
  • grass on    (GB) dénoncer (qn)
  • grass over    enherber (un champ), gazonner
  • grass roots    base (d'une organisation), (Pol) la base (d'un parti), de base, à la base, qui émane de la base
  • grass widow    femme dont le mari est temporairement absent, femme divorcée/séparée (de son mari), amante délaissée, mère d'un enfant illégitime
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    ne laisse pas traîner les choses
  • out to grass    (lit, fig) mettre au vert
  • the grass is always greener    on croit toujours que c'est mieux ailleurs

Deutsch (German)
n. - Gras, Rasen, Weide, (ugs.) Informant, Marihuana
v. - weiden, niederschlagen

idioms:

  • at grass    auf der Weide
  • grass on    verpfeifen
  • grass over    mit Rasen bedecken
  • grass roots    Wurzeln
  • grass widow    Strohwitwe
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    nicht auf die lange Bank schieben
  • out to grass    auf der Weide
  • the grass is always greener    Nachbars Kirschen schmecken immer besser

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χλόη, χορτάρι, γρασίδι, γκαζόν, χορτονομή, βοσκή, (καθομ.) μαριχουάνα, χαφιές
v. - στρώνω με γρασίδι, (κοιν.) καρφώνω (στην αστυνομία)

idioms:

  • grass on    καρφώνω στην αστυνομία
  • grass over    καλλιεργώ
  • grass roots    λαϊκή βάση (κόμματος), εκλογική πελατεία, ψηφοφόροι, βασικές αρχές
  • grass widow    γυναίκα της οποίας ο σύζυγος απουσιάζει
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    (καθομ.) δεν χάνω τον καιρό μου
  • out to grass    συνταξιούχος
  • put out to grass    βγάζω στη σύνταξη
  • the grass is (always) greener    τα ξένα είναι πάντα καλύτερα

Italiano (Italian)
prato, erba, delatore

idioms:

  • grass on    denunciare
  • grass over    coltivato a prato
  • grass roots    persone-base di una organizzazione
  • grass widow    vedova bianca
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    non lasciarsi crescer l'erba sotto ai piedi, non perdere tempo
  • out to grass    a riposo
  • put out to grass    mettere a riposo
  • the grass is (always) greener    l'erba (del vicino) è (sempre) più verde

Português (Portuguese)
n. - capim (m) (Bot.), relva (f), grama (f) (Bot.), maconha (f) (gír.), delator (m) (gír.)
v. - apascentar, pastar, cobrir-se de relva

idioms:

  • grass on    delatar alguém
  • grass over    cobrir o solo com grama
  • grass roots    com origem no povo (coloq.)
  • grass widow    mulher (f) divorciada, mulher (f) separada
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    não perder tempo, ser rápido no trabalho
  • out to grass    despedir alguém por causa da idade
  • put out to grass    aposentar (cavalo de corrida)
  • the grass is (always) greener    a grama é (sempre) mais verde

Русский (Russian)
трава, злак, газон, лужайка, луг, пастбище, марихуана, доносчик, засевать травой, зарастать травой, пастись, вытаскивать на берег рыбу, подстрелить птицу, стучать на кого-л.

idioms:

  • grass on    наябедничать, донести на кого-л.
  • grass over    покрывать дерном
  • grass roots    основа, источник, простые люди
  • grass widow    соломенная вдова
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    действовать быстро и энергично
  • out to grass    в отставке
  • put out to grass    отправлять в отставку
  • the grass is (always) greener    (в чужом саду) яблоки всегда слаще

Español (Spanish)
n. - césped, pasto, hierba, yerba, delator, chivato, soplón, mariguana, marihuana, marijuana, pastura
v. tr. - cubrir con pasto, alimentar con pasto o hacer pastar
v. intr. - alimentarse con pasto, pastar, cubrirse de pasto

idioms:

  • at grass    pastando
  • grass on    soplonear, dar el chivatazo
  • grass over    cubrirse de hierba
  • grass roots    bases, fundamentos, raíces, la masa
  • grass widow    mujer cuyo marido está ausente, mujer divorciada, mujer separada de su marido
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    no perder el tiempo, aprovechar la oportunidad
  • out to grass    pastorear, salir de vacaciones, jubilarse
  • the grass is always greener    la cabra de mi vecina más leche da que la mía, el césped del vecino es más verde, la gallina del vecino pone más huevos que la mía

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gräs, gräsmatta, betesmark, jordyta (gruv.), tjallare (sl.), gräs (sl. för marijuana)
v. - utfodra, täcka med gräs, breda ut (på gräset) till blekning, fälla, skjuta ner (fågel), hala i land, skvallra på (sl.)

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
草, 牧场, 草原, 使吃草, 放牧, 在...上种草, 使长满草, 长草

idioms:

  • grass on    告发
  • grass over    将...撞倒
  • grass roots    农业区, 基层, 基础
  • grass widow    离婚的女子, 被抛弃的女子
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    不失时机
  • out to grass    将...赶去吃草, 将...免职, 将...赶走
  • put out to grass    将...赶去吃草, 将...免职, 将...赶走
  • the grass is (always) greener    别人有的东西看起来总是比自己的好

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 草, 牧場, 草原
v. tr. - 使吃草, 放牧, 在...上種草, 使長滿草
v. intr. - 長草

idioms:

  • grass on    告發
  • grass over    將...撞倒
  • grass roots    農業區, 基層, 基礎
  • grass widow    離婚的女子, 被拋棄的女子
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    不失時機
  • out to grass    將...趕去吃草, 將...免職, 將...趕走
  • put out to grass    將...趕去吃草, 將...免職, 將...趕走
  • the grass is (always) greener    別人有的東西看起來總是比自己的好

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 풀, 잔디, 지표면, 벼과 식물, 밀고자
v. tr. - 풀로 덮다, 방목하다
v. intr. - 풀을 뜯다, 밀고하다

idioms:

  • grass on    ~에 대해 밀고하다
  • grass over    풀이 자라다, 풀로 덮이다
  • put out to grass    ~을 방목하다, 해고하다, 때려 눕히다
  • the grass is (always) greener    남의 떡이 커 보인다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 草, 牧草, 草地, 芝生, 牧草地, 春, 地表
v. - 草を生えさせる, 草で覆う, 放牧する
adj. - 一般大衆の

idioms:

  • grass on    密告する
  • grass over    打ち倒す
  • grass roots    草の根, 地表に近い土壌, 基盤, 選挙民, 農業地帯
  • grass widow    夫が不在の妻, 離婚している妻
  • not let the grass grow under one's feet    好機を逸する
  • out to grass    遠いところ
  • put out to grass    放牧する, 解雇する, 暇を出す
  • the grass is (always) greener    隣の芝生は青い

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حشائش, اعشاب, مخبر : جاسوس, (فعل) يغطي شيئا بالعشب, يطعم الحيوانات بالحشيش, يخبر : يتجسس‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮עשב, דשא, חשיש, מודיע, מריחואנה (מדוברת), אספרגוס (מדוברת)‬
v. tr. - ‮הלשין, חשיש, כיסה בעשב, מודיע, נתן מרעה, הפיל (יריב), הוריד (ציפור) ביריה‬
v. intr. - ‮הודיע או הלשין למשטרה‬

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