Word.ws English Dictionary

penny-grass

UK/ˈpɛniˌɡɹɑːs/US/ˈpɛniˌɡɹæs/

penny-grass noun: yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor or Rhinanthus major (syn. Rhinanthus crista-galli)).

Noun

penny-grass (uncountable)

  1. (obsolete) yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor or Rhinanthus major (syn. Rhinanthus crista-galli)).
    • Another Graſs is called Penny-Graſs; it groweth low, cloſe to the Earth, in mooriſh Grounds; it hath a Leaf as broad as Twopence , but never beareth a Flower.1670, J. B., The Epitome of the Art of Husbandry […] , London: Benjamin Billingſley, page 180
    • Nor taint-worm ſhall infect the yeaning herds / Nor penny-graſs, nor ſpearwort's poiſ'nous leaf.1757, John Dyer, “Book I”, in The Fleece: A Poem […] , London: R. and J. Dodsley, page 40

Forms of penny-grass

alternative formpenny grass

Origin of penny-grass

From Middle English peny gras; equivalent to penny + grass.

Questions about penny-grass

What does penny-grass mean?
Penny-grass means yellow rattle (Rhinanthus minor or Rhinanthus major (syn. Rhinanthus crista-galli)).
What part of speech is penny-grass?
Penny-grass is a noun.
How do you pronounce penny-grass?
Penny-grass is pronounced /ˈpɛniˌɡɹɑːs/ (UK).

Words near penny-grass in the dictionary

  1. penny-farthing
  2. penny-farthings
  3. penny-father
  4. penny-fathers
  5. penny-gaff
  6. penny-grass
  7. penny-in-the-slot machine
  8. penny-in-the-slot machines
  9. penny-pig
  10. penny-pigs
  11. penny-pinch

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: penny-grass (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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