moss

moss · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A small, soft, green or yellow plant that grows in dense clumps or mats on rocks, tree bark, and damp ground.

  2. 2.

    (Scottish/Northern English) A bog or peat bog.

Forms

plural: mosses

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    a rolling stone gathers no moss — A person who keeps moving and changing will not accumulate wealth or responsibilities
  • •
    moss-covered — Covered or overgrown with moss

Related words

See also: fern, lichen, plant
Synonyms: bryophyte, lichen

Etymology

From Old English mos ("bog, swamp"), from Proto-Germanic musą. The meaning shifted from "swamp" to the plant that grows in swampy areas.