mare's-tail

[ mairz-teyl ]

noun
  1. a long narrow cirrus cloud whose flowing appearance somewhat resembles a horse's tail.

  2. an erect, aquatic, Old World plant, Hippuris vulgaris, having crowded whorls of narrow, hairlike leaves.

Origin of mare's-tail

1
First recorded in 1755–65

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for mare's-tail

mare's-tail

noun
  1. a wisp of trailing cirrus cloud, often indicating high winds in the upper troposphere

  2. an erect cosmopolitan pond plant, Hippuris vulgaris, with minute flowers and crowded whorls of narrow leaves: family Hippuridaceae

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012