English
agrostis
Agrostis comes from New Latin agrōstis ‘Couch grass, quitch grass’, and goes back to Ancient Greek ἄγρωστις.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄγρωστις‘a grass that mules fed on, perhaps Elymus repens’
- New Latinc. 1500–1900agrōstis‘Couch grass, quitch grass’by way of mul-tax Agrostis
- Englishearliest quotation 1891agrostis
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄγρωστις‘a grass that mules fed on, perhaps Elymus repens’
- New Latinc. 1500–1900agrōstis‘Couch grass, quitch grass’by way of mul-tax Agrostis
- Englishearliest quotation 1891agrostis
Earliest quotation: 1891, Katharine Prescott Wormeley, The Lily of the Valley: “Above, see those delicate threads of the purple amoret,…”
Every English word from Ancient Greek ἄγρωστις
Today it means
noun Any grass of the genus Agrostis of bentgrasses.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Ancient Greek ἄγρωστις / agrostis