HORSETAIL

horsetail

(noun) 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 America

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

horsetail (plural horsetails)

(literal) The tail of a horse.

(botany) Any of various simple vascular plants, of the order Equisetales, that have hollow stems and produce spores.

(military) A Turkish standard denoting rank.

(botany) A mare's tail, a water plant in genus Hippuris.

Any waterfall, the descending water of which maintains contact with bedrock most of the time.

(anatomy) cauda equina, a bundle of nerve fibers.

(rare) A ponytail hairstyle.

Anagrams

• aeroliths, isotheral

Source: Wiktionary

Horse"tail`, n.

1. (Bot.)

Definition: 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.

Note: 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. (Bot.) See Joint-fir.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition