bulrush

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   any of several tall, rushlike wetland plants, especially a cattail or reedmace with a cylindrical flower spike

   Red-winged blackbirds nested among the bulrushes at the edge of the marsh.

2. 2
   noun

   a tall true rush, especially the soft rush Juncus effusus

   Clumps of bulrush bent over the shallow water after the storm.

3. 3
   noun

   in biblical and historical use, the papyrus plant growing along the Nile

   The artist depicted the infant's basket hidden among the bulrushes of the Nile.

Simplified etymology

In bulrush, recorded in the late Middle English period, bull probably refers to the plant’s large size or vigour, drawing on qualities associated with the animal.

From Middle English bulrish, probably a compound of bull, used intensively to suggest large size, and rush. The common name has never denoted a single botanical group: regional and historical usage applies it to cattails, true rushes, sedges, and the biblical papyrus.

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External links

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