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moss

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moss

  [maws, mos]
Use moss in a Sentence
–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)
5. to cover with a growth of moss: to moss a crumbling wall.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME mos(se), OE mos moss, bog; akin to G Moos, ON mȳrr mire

Related forms:
mosslike, adjective
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Moss

  [maws, mos]
–noun
Howard, 1922–1987, U.S. poet, editor, and playwright.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To moss
moss   (môs, mŏs)   
n.  

    1. Any of various green, usually small, nonvascular plants of the class Musci of the division Bryophyta.

    2. A patch or covering of such plants.

  2. Any of various other unrelated plants having a similar appearance or manner of growth, such as the club moss, Irish moss, and Spanish moss.

tr.v.   mossed, moss·ing, moss·es
To cover with moss.

[Middle English, from Old English mos, bog, and from Medieval Latin mossa, moss (of Germanic origin).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

moss 
O.E. meos "moss," related to mos "bog," from P.Gmc. *musan (cf. O.H.G. mios, Ger. Moos), also in part from O.N. mosi "moss, bog," and M.L. mossa "moss," from the same Gmc. source, from PIE *meus- (cf. L. muscus "moss," Lith. musai "mold, mildew," O.C.S. muchu "moss"), from base *meu- "moist, marsh." All the Gmc. languages have the word in both senses, which is natural since moss is the characteristic plant of boggy places. It is impossible to say which sense is original.
"Selden Moseþ þe Marbelston þat men ofte treden." ["Piers Plowman," 1362]
Scott (1805) revived 17c. moss-trooper "freebooter infesting Scottish border marshes." Mossback "conservative" is 1878, originally of poor whites from Carolina, originally (1872) in ref. to those who hid out to avoid service in the Confederate army (and would have stayed out till the moss grew on their backs).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: moss
Pronunciation: 'mos
Function: noun
1 : any of a class (Musci) of bryophytic plants having a small leafy often tufted stem bearingsex organs at its tip —see SPHAGNUM
2 : any of various plants resembling mosses in appearance orhabit of growth —see CLUB MOSS, ICELANDMOSS, IRISH MOSS
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
moss   (môs)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. Any of numerous small bryophyte plants belonging to the phylum 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. See more at bryophyte.

  2. 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.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

moss

see rolling stone gathers no moss.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Encyclopedia

Moss

town and port, southeastern Norway, on the eastern shore of Oslo Fjord. Moss was founded in the 16th century. On Aug. 14, 1814, it was the site of the signing of the Convention of Moss, which ended the short war between Norway and Sweden that preceded their union. The town has paper and cotton mills, metalworks, shipyards, textile factories, breweries, and facilities for glass, asphalt, and tar production. The harbour is protected by adjacent Jel Island, called the "Pearl of Oslo Fjord" for its fine resort area and many large estates. The Moss River drains into Vann Lake and then flows through the town and into Oslo Fjord. Pop. (2007 est.) mun., 28,633.

Learn more about Moss with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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