Etymology

ricegrass

R1I1C3E1G2R1A1S1S1

Today it means: Any of the genus Oryzopsis of Chinese and North American plants in the grass family. Full definition →

English grass ← Middle English gras ← Old English græs
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-Iranian*wriHǰʰíš
  2. Proto-Iranian*wriHǰíš
  3. Proto-Iranian*wrinǰiš
  4. Ancient Greekὄρῡζα (órūza)
  5. Late Latinoryza
  6. Old Italianriso
  7. Old Frenchris
  8. Middle Englishrys
  9. Englishrice
  10. Proto-Indo-European*gʰreh₁-
  11. Proto-Germanic*grasą
  12. Proto-West Germanic*gras
  13. Old Englishgræs
  14. Middle Englishgras
  15. Englishgrass
  16. English todayricegrass

From rice + grass, from its resemblance to true rice.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.