moss

¹ American  

[maws, mos] / mɔs, mɒs /

noun

1. any tiny, leafy-stemmed, flowerless plant of the class Musci, reproducing by spores and growing in tufts, sods, or mats on moist ground, tree trunks, rocks, etc.

2. a growth of such plants.

3. any of various similar plants, as Iceland moss or club moss.

4. Chiefly Scot. and North England. a swamp or bog.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cover with a growth of moss.

   to moss a crumbling wall.

Moss ² American  

[maws, mos] / mɔs, mɒs /

noun

1. Howard, 1922–1987, U.S. poet, editor, and playwright.

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moss ¹ British  

/ mɒs /

noun

1. any bryophyte of the phylum Bryophyta , typically growing in dense mats on trees, rocks, moist ground, etc See also peat moss

2. a clump or growth of any of these plants

3. any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as club moss, Spanish moss, Ceylon moss, rose moss, and reindeer moss

4. a peat bog or marsh

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Moss ² British  

/ mɒs /

noun

1. Kate . born 1974, British supermodel.

2. Sir Stirling. born 1929, English racing driver

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moss Scientific  

/ môs /

1. Any of various green, usually small nonvascular plants of the division Bryophyta. Mosses, unlike liverworts, have some tissues specialized for conducting water and nutrients. As in the other bryophytes, the diploid sporophyte grows on the haploid gametophyte generation, which supplies it with nutrients. Mosses often live in moist, shady areas and grow in clusters or mats. Sphagnum mosses play a crucial role in the ecology of peat bogs.

2. See more at bryophyte

3. Any of a number of plants that look like mosses but are not related to them. For instance, reindeer moss is a lichen, Irish moss is an alga, and Spanish moss is a bromeliad, a flowering plant.

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moss Idioms  

1. see rolling stone gathers no moss.

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Other Word Forms

• mossiness noun
• mosslike adjective
• mossy adjective
• unmossed adjective

Etymology

Origin of moss

before 1000; Middle English mos ( se ), Old English mos moss, bog; akin to German Moos, Old Norse mȳrr mire

Example Sentences

The set decorator, the painter, the greens person that puts the moss in is like, “Do you see where I put the moss right there? You see the moss right there?”

From Los Angeles Times

Michael Enea, a political blogger and local campaigner for the Conservative party, said one phone box in Newport was "covered in dirt, muck and moss", describing it as "absolutely apalling".

From BBC

Their remarkable durability led researchers to test moss sporophytes, the reproductive structures that hold spores, in an even harsher setting: outer space.

From Science Daily

Start with the adorably strange tardigrades, or “moss piglets,” with their chubby bodies and eight fat legs.

From The Wall Street Journal

The evening breeze carries the smell of brine and moss.

From Literature