moss

¹

[ maws, mos ]

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.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover with a growth of moss:

   to moss a crumbling wall.

Moss

²

[ maws, mos ]

noun

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

moss

¹

/ mɒs /

noun

1. See peat moss
   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

Moss

²

/ mɒs /

noun

1. MossKate1974MBritishARTS AND CRAFTS: fashion model Kate . born 1974, British supermodel.
2. MossStirling1929MEnglishSPORT AND GAMES: racing driver Sir Stirling. born 1929, English racing driver

moss

/ 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.

Derived Forms

• ˈmossy, adjective
• ˈmossˌlike, adjective
• ˈmossiness, noun

Other Words From

• mosslike adjective
• un·mossed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of moss¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of moss¹

Old English mos swamp; compare Middle Dutch, Old High German mos bog, Old Norse mosi; compare also Old Norse mӯrr mire

Idioms and Phrases

see rolling stone gathers no moss .

Example Sentences

The more the virus replicates, the more opportunity it has to evolve around existing vaccines or natural immune responses to older variants, Moss says.

From Science News

Moss provides credit cards and a spending platform to small and medium businesses in Germany.

From TechCrunch

It’s Louisiana, so there’s some moss and the occasional palm tree.

From Washington Post

With Moss’s guidance, they both leap wittily from animation to three dimensions.

From Washington Post

So for many tens of millions of years, plants on land had to be happy sticking like moss to the surfaces of rocks.

From Nautilus

In New York, district attorneys have a tendency to grow moss-bound in their roles.

From The Daily Beast

They agreed to let McKell and Moss join their tribe for a few days.

From The Daily Beast

By the time the CFDA awards rolled round in early 1994, Moss was a bona fide star.

From The Daily Beast

Callahan claims that within weeks of leaving the Priory, Moss “got back on drugs.”

From The Daily Beast

He pops from the screen as a charismatic, occasionally messianic “human prism,” as Moss calls him.

From The Daily Beast

He walked about, stumbling over sticks and stones and stumps, sometimes falling down on soft moss, and again on the hard ground.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the home that had sheltered her orphan childhood; she had never slept a night from under its moss-grown roof.

From Project Gutenberg

The large soft leaves and the pendent moss of the oaks were gray with dust, but the shade was cool and delicious.

From Project Gutenberg

Studying it very carefully, he thought he made out "Mrs." before the moss-blurred name.

From Project Gutenberg

Jess quickly found a dry spot thick with moss between two stones.

From Project Gutenberg