forb

F4O1R1B3

noun

Any nonwoody flowering plant that is not a graminoid (a grass, sedge, or rush).

UncommonScrabble 9

Meanings

forb1

nounforb (plural forbs)

plural forbs · alternative phorb

  1. biologyAny nonwoody flowering plant that is not a graminoid (a grass, sedge, or rush).

    So younger is better and the part nearest the roots is better, but what makes life possible for the pronghorn is a supply of forbs—small broadleaf plants growing among the grasses.

    2002, Dale F. Lott, American Bison: A Natural History, page 122
    2 more examples

    2004, A. Kirilov, P. Todorova Development of forage areas and forage resources in Bulgaria during the period of transition, A. Lüscher, et al. (editors), Land Use Systems in Grassland Dominated Regions: Proceedings of the 20th General Meeting of the European Grassland Federation, Grassland Science in Europe, Volume 9, page 859, Buchgraber (1995) recommends 50-70% of grasses, 10-30% of legumes and also 10-30% of forbs on meadows, while Kessler (1994) recommends the same proportion of grasses, 10-20% of legumes and 20-40% of forbs on natural meadows.

    Common understory forbs included, but were not limited to, large-leaved aster, bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum), bluebead lily, species of clubmoss, Canada mayflower, and sweet coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus).

    2009, Mesaba Energy Project Environmental Impact Statement, 3.8-3

FORB2

nounFORB (uncountable)

alternative F.O.R.B. · alternative F. O. R. B. · alternative FoRB

  1. abbreviationinitialismuncountableInitialism of freedom of religion or belief.

FoRB3

nounFoRB (uncountable)
  1. uncountableAlternative letter-case form of FORB.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekφορβή“food”
  2. Englishforb

Borrowed from Ancient Greek φορβή (phorbḗ, “food”), from φέρβω (phérbō, “to feed”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan fòrbia
  • fòrbianon-graminoid flowering plant
French phorbe
  • phorbenon-graminoid flowering plant
Korean 광엽초본
  • 광엽초본 (gwang'yeopchobon)non-graminoid flowering plant
Spanish forbia
  • forbianon-graminoid flowering plant

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

forb. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forb

MLA

“forb.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forb. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forb,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forb.

Source: forb on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.