moss
1 Americannoun
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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.
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a growth of such plants.
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any of various similar plants, as Iceland moss or club moss.
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Chiefly Scot. and North England. a swamp or bog.
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
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any bryophyte of the phylum Bryophyta , typically growing in dense mats on trees, rocks, moist ground, etc See also peat moss
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a clump or growth of any of these plants
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any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as club moss, Spanish moss, Ceylon moss, rose moss, and reindeer moss
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a peat bog or marsh
noun
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Kate . born 1974, British supermodel.
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Sir Stirling. born 1929, English racing driver
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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.
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See more at bryophyte
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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.
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Joel Otterson’s intimate sculptures set moss agate in silver and brass at Ehrlich Steinberg.
Again using Inuit techniques, Kane and his remaining men hurried to gather moss and turf to insulate the rooms below deck.
From Literature
Shadow went and out came back later with some fluff — soft material like pine needles, moss or grass — to warm and cushion the egg.
From Los Angeles Times
She had covered the crown with moss to resemble hair.
From Literature
Reserved moss and mycelium grow from a room with a crystal floor where I heard members vigorously doing breathwork.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
