| any of certain horsetails, esp. Equisetum hyemale, used for scouring and polishing. |
[hawrs-teyl] 
| 1. | Also called scouring rush. any nonflowering plant of the genus Equisetum, having hollow, jointed stems. |
| 2. | a horse's tail formerly used as a Turkish military standard or as an ensign of a pasha, the number of tails increasing with the rank. |
| scour·ing rush (skour'ĭng) n. Any of several species of horsetail, especially Equisetum hyemale, having rough-ridged stems formerly used for scouring utensils. |
