from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Rush \Rush\, n. [OE. rusche, rische, resche, AS. risce, akin to
LG. rusk, risch, D. & G. rusch; all probably fr. L. ruscum
butcher's broom; akin to Goth. raus reed, G. rohr.]
1. (Bot.) A name given to many aquatic or marsh-growing
endogenous plants with soft, slender stems, as the species
of {Juncus} and {Scirpus}.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Some species are used in bottoming chairs and plaiting
mats, and the pith is used in some places for wicks to
lamps and rushlights.
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2. The merest trifle; a straw.
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John Bull's friendship is not worth a rush.
--Arbuthnot.
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{Bog rush}. See under {Bog}.
{Club rush}, any rush of the genus {Scirpus}.
{Flowering rush}. See under {Flowering}.
{Nut rush}
(a) Any plant of the genus {Scleria}, rushlike plants with
hard nutlike fruits.
(b) A name for several species of {Cyperus} having
tuberous roots.
{Rush broom}, an Australian leguminous plant ({Viminaria
denudata}), having long, slender branches. Also, the
Spanish broom. See under {Spanish}.
{Rush candle}, See under {Candle}.
{Rush grass}, any grass of the genus {Vilfa}, grasses with
wiry stems and one-flowered spikelets.
{Rush toad} (Zool.), the natterjack.
{Scouring rush}. (Bot.) Same as {Dutch rush}, under {Dutch.}
{Spike rush}, any rushlike plant of the genus {Eleocharis},
in which the flowers grow in dense spikes.
{Sweet rush}, a sweet-scented grass of Arabia, etc.
({Andropogon schoenanthus}), used in Oriental medical
practice.
{Wood rush}, any plant of the genus {Luzula}, which differs
in some technical characters from {Juncus}.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Andropogon \An`dro*po"gon\, n. [NL.; Gr. 'anh`r, 'andro`s, man +
pw`gwn the beard.] (Bot.)
A very large and important genus of grasses, found in nearly
all parts of the world. It includes the lemon grass of Ceylon
and the beard grass, or broom sedge, of the United States.
The principal subgenus is {Sorghum}, including {Andropogon
sorghum} and {Andropogon halepensis}, from which have been
derived the Chinese sugar cane, the Johnson grass, the Aleppo
grass, the broom corn, and the durra, or Indian millet.
Several East Indian species, as {Andropogon nardus} and
{Andropogon sch[oe]nanthus}, yield fragrant oils, used in
perfumery.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]