English Explanatory Dictionary

straw

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A dried stalk of a cereal plant.
  2. Such dried stalks considered collectively; this bulk matter may be a chief salable product, a by-product, fodder, bedding, or green manure, depending on region and on current market conditions.
  3. A drinking straw.
  4. A pale, yellowish beige colour, like that of a dried straw.
  5. Anything proverbially worthless; the least possible thing.
  6. A straw owner.
adj
  1. Made of straw.
  2. Of a pale, yellowish beige colour, like that of a dried straw.
  3. Imaginary, but presented as real.
verb
  1. To scatter or to spread loosely.
  2. To lay straw around plants to protect them from frost.
  3. To sell straws on the streets in order to cover the giving to the purchaser of things usually banned, such as pornography.
name
  1. A surname transferred from the nickname.

Pronunciation

/stɹɔː/ /stɹɔ/ /stɹɑ/ en-us-straw.ogg

Word forms

straw straws strawing strawed

Etymology

From Middle English straw, from Old English strēaw, from Proto-West Germanic *strau, from Proto-Germanic *strawą (“that which is strewn, straw”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread around, strew”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sträi (“straw”), West Frisian strie (“straw”), Dutch stro (“straw”), German Low German Stroh (“straw”), German Stroh (“straw”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish strå (“straw”), Icelandic strá (“straw”), Walloon strin, Albanian shtrohë (“kennel”).

Synonyms

litter strawen

Related words

balibuntal buntal corn dolly etiolated fescue huarache leghorn paillasse paillette pallet parabuntal rick sacaton skep stipule stubble zori

Derived words

a drowning man will clutch at a straw a drowning man will grab at a straw a drowning man will grasp at a straw a straw shows how the wind blows a straw shows which way the wind blows bang straw bang-straw bedstraw bendy straw broomstraw buy straw hats in winter called to straw clutch at a straw crazy straw drinking-straw grab at a straw grasp at a straw in the straw neststraw oatstraw onion straw poppy straw sampling straw soda straw spoon straw straw bail strawbale straw ballot strawbed straw-bed straw bed strawberry straw bid straw-bottomed strawbreaker straw cat straw-clutching straw-clutchingly straw-colored strawcraft straw donor strawfork strawful straw-grasping straw-hat straw-hatted strawhead straw itch strawless strawlike straw lily strawman straw nail straw-necked ibis straw owner strawpedo straw purchase straw purchaser straw shoe strawstack
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