horsetail
NounUS[hawr-steyl]/ˈhɔrˌsteɪl/2 syllables
Open English WordNet
Noun (1)horsetails
- perennial rushlike flowerless herbs with jointed hollow stems and narrow toothlike leaves that spread by creeping rhizomes; tend to become weedy; common in Northern Hemisphere; some in Africa and South AmericaType of fern allyKinds variegated horsetail, scouring rush, wood horsetail, marsh horsetail, swamp horsetail, common horsetailParts cone, strobilusMember of Equisetum, genus Equisetum
Word of the day · Nov 9About this word
inexorableadjective
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Horse′tail′ noun
1. Botany A leafless plant, with hollow and rushlike stems. It is of the genus Equisetum, and is allied to the ferns. See Illust. of Equisetum.
2. A Turkish standard, denoting rank.
☞ Commanders are distinguished by the number of horsetails carried before them. Thus, the sultan has seven, the grand vizier five, and the pashas three, two, or one.
Shrubby horsetail. Botany See Joint-fir.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54