Word Study
horsetail
CIDE DICTIONARY
horsetail, n.
- A leafless plant, with hollow and rushlike stems. It is of the genus
Equisetum , and is allied to the ferns. See Illust. of Equisetum. [1913 Webster] - A Turkish standard, denoting rank. [1913 Webster]" Commanders are distinguished by the number of horsetails carried before them. Thus, the sultan has seven, the grand vizier five, and the pashas three, two, or one." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
horsetail, n.
1 the tail of a horse (formerly used in Turkey as a standard, or as an ensign denoting the rank of a pasha).
2 any cryptogamous plant of the genus Equisetum, like a horse's tail, with a hollow jointed stem and scale-like leaves.
3 = pony-tail.
1 the tail of a horse (formerly used in Turkey as a standard, or as an ensign denoting the rank of a pasha).
2 any cryptogamous plant of the genus Equisetum, like a horse's tail, with a hollow jointed stem and scale-like leaves.
3 = pony-tail.
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