Barnyard grass, for hay. South. Panicum Grus-galli. Bent,
pasture and hay. Agrostis, several species. Bermuda grass,
pasture. South. Cynodon Dactylon. Black bent. Same as Switch
grass (below). Blue bent, hay. North and West. Andropogon
provincialis. Blue grass, pasture. Poa compressa. Blue joint,
hay. Northwest. Aqropyrum glaucum. Buffalo grass, grazing.
Rocky Mts., etc.
      (a) Buchlo["e] dectyloides.
      (b) Same as Grama grass (below). Bunch grass, grazing.
          Far West. Eriocoma, Festuca, Stips, etc. Chess,
          or Cheat, a weed. Bromus secalinus, etc. Couch
          grass. Same as Quick grass (below). Crab grass,
      (a) Hay, in South. A weed, in North. Panicum sanguinale.
      (b) Pasture and hay. South. Eleusine Indica. Darnel
      (a) Bearded, a noxious weed. Lolium temulentum.
      (b) Common. Same as Rye grass (below). Drop seed, fair
          for forage and hay. Muhlenbergia, several species.
          English grass. Same as Redtop (below). Fowl meadow
          grass.
      (a) Pasture and hay. Poa serotina.
      (b) Hay, on moist land. Gryceria nervata. Gama grass,
          cut fodder. South. Tripsacum dactyloides. Grama
          grass, grazing. West and Pacific slope. Bouteloua
          oligostachya, etc. Great bunch grass, pasture and
          hay. Far West. Festuca scabrella. Guinea grass, hay.
          South. Panicum jumentorum. Herd's grass, in New
          England Timothy, in Pennsylvania and South Redtop.
          Indian grass. Same as Wood grass (below). Italian
          rye grass, forage and hay. Lolium Italicum. Johnson
          grass, grazing and hay. South and Southwest. Sorghum
          Halepense. Kentucky blue grass, pasture. Poa
          pratensis. Lyme grass, coarse hay. South. Elymus,
          several species. Manna grass, pasture and hay.
          Glyceria, several species. Meadow fescue, pasture
          and hay. Festuca elatior. Meadow foxtail, pasture,
          hay, lawn. North. Alopecurus pratensis. Meadow
          grass, pasture, hay, lawn. Poa, several species.
          Mesquite grass, or Muskit grass. Same as Grama grass
          (above). Nimble Will, a kind of drop seed.
          Muhlenbergia diffsa. Orchard grass, pasture and hay.
          Dactylis glomerata. Porcupine grass, troublesome to
          sheep. Northwest. Stipa spartea. Quaking grass,
          ornamental. Briza media and maxima. Quitch, or
          Quick, grass, etc., a weed. Agropyrum repens. Ray
          grass. Same as Rye grass (below). Redtop, pasture
          and hay. Agrostis vulgaris. Red-topped buffalo
          grass, forage. Northwest. Poa tenuifolia. Reed
          canary grass, of slight value. Phalaris arundinacea.
          Reed meadow grass, hay. North. Glyceria aquatica.
          Ribbon grass, a striped leaved form of Reed canary
          grass. Rye grass, pasture, hay. Lolium perenne,
          var. Seneca grass, fragrant basket work, etc. North.
          Hierochloa borealis. Sesame grass. Same as Gama
          grass (above). Sheep's fescue, sheep pasture, native
          in Northern Europe and Asia. Festuca ovina. Small
          reed grass, meadow pasture and hay. North. Deyeuxia
          Canadensis. Spear grass, Same as Meadow grass
          (above). Squirrel-tail grass, troublesome to animals.
          Seacoast and Northwest. Hordeum jubatum. Switch
          grass, hay, cut young. Panicum virgatum. Timothy,
          cut young, the best of hay. North. Phleum pratense.
          Velvet grass, hay on poor soil. South. Holcus
          lanatus. Vernal grass, pasture, hay, lawn.
          Anthoxanthum odoratum. Wire grass, valuable in
          pastures. Poa compressa. Wood grass, Indian grass,
          hay. Chrysopogon nutans.
          [1913 Webster]

   Note: Many plants are popularly called grasses which are not
         true grasses botanically considered, such as black
         grass, goose grass, star grass, etc.
         [1913 Webster]

   Black grass, a kind of small rush (Juncus Gerardi),
      growing in salt marshes, used for making salt hay.

   Grass of the Andes, an oat grass, the Arrhenatherum
      avenaceum of Europe.

   Grass of Parnassus, a plant of the genus Parnassia
      growing in wet ground. The European species is Parnassia
      palustris; in the United States there are several
      species.

   Grass bass (Zool.), the calico bass.

   Grass bird, the dunlin.

   Grass cloth, a cloth woven from the tough fibers of the
      grass-cloth plant.

   Grass-cloth plant, a perennial herb of the Nettle family
      (B[oe]hmeria nivea syn. Urtica nivea), which grows in
      Sumatra, China, and Assam, whose inner bark has fine and
      strong fibers suited for textile purposes.

   Grass finch. (Zool.)
      (a) A common American sparrow (Po["o]c[ae]tes
          gramineus); -- called also vesper sparrow and
          bay-winged bunting.
      (b) Any Australian finch, of the genus Po["e]phila, of
          which several species are known.

   Grass lamb, a lamb suckled by a dam running on pasture land
      and giving rich milk.

   Grass land, land kept in grass and not tilled.

   Grass moth (Zool.), one of many small moths of the genus
      Crambus, found in grass.

   Grass oil, a fragrant essential volatile oil, obtained in
      India from grasses of the genus Andropogon, etc.; --
      used in perfumery under the name of citronella, ginger
      grass oil, lemon grass oil, essence of verbena etc.
      

   Grass owl (Zool.), a South African owl (Strix Capensis).
      

   Grass parrakeet (Zool.), any of several species of
      Australian parrots, of the genus Euphemia; -- also
      applied to the zebra parrakeet.

   Grass plover (Zool.), the upland or field plover.

   Grass poly (Bot.), a species of willowwort (Lythrum
      Hyssopifolia). --Johnson.

   Crass quit (Zool.), one of several tropical American
      finches of the genus Euetheia. The males have most of
      the head and chest black and often marked with yellow.

   Grass snake. (Zool.)
      (a) The common English, or ringed, snake (Tropidonotus
          natrix).
      (b) The common green snake of the Northern United States.
          See Green snake, under Green.

   Grass snipe (Zool.), the pectoral sandpiper (Tringa
      maculata); -- called also jacksnipe in America.

   Grass spider (Zool.), a common spider (Agelena n[ae]via),
      which spins flat webs on grass, conspicuous when covered
      with dew.

   Grass sponge (Zool.), an inferior kind of commercial sponge
      from Florida and the Bahamas.

   Grass table. (Arch.) See Earth table, under Earth.

   Grass vetch (Bot.), a vetch (Lathyrus Nissolia), with
      narrow grasslike leaves.

   Grass widow. [Cf. Prov. R. an unmarried mother, G.
      strohwittwe a mock widow, Sw. gr[aum]senka a grass widow.]
      (a) An unmarried woman who is a mother. [Obs.]
      (b) A woman separated from her husband by abandonment or
          prolonged absence; a woman living apart from her
          husband. [Slang.]

   Grass wrack (Bot.) eelgrass.

   To bring to grass (Mining.), to raise, as ore, to the
      surface of the ground.

   To put to grass, To put out to grass, to put out to graze
      a season, as cattle.
      [1913 Webster]

Holy \Ho"ly\, a. [Compar. Holier; superl. Holiest.] [OE.
   holi, hali, AS. h[=a]lig, fr. h[ae]l health, salvation,
   happiness, fr. h[=a]l whole, well; akin to OS. h?lag, D. & G.
   heilig, OHG. heilac, Dan. hellig, Sw. helig, Icel. heilagr.
   See Whole, and cf. Halibut, Halidom, Hallow,
   Hollyhock.]
   1. Set apart to the service or worship of God; hallowed;
      sacred; reserved from profane or common use; holy vessels;
      a holy priesthood. "Holy rites and solemn feasts."
      --Milton.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Spiritually whole or sound; of unimpaired innocence and
      virtue; free from sinful affections; pure in heart; godly;
      pious; irreproachable; guiltless; acceptable to God.
      [1913 Webster]

            Now through her round of holy thought
            The Church our annual steps has brought. --Keble.
      [1913 Webster]

   Holy Alliance (Hist.), a league ostensibly for conserving
      religion, justice, and peace in Europe, but really for
      repressing popular tendencies toward constitutional
      government, entered into by Alexander I. of Russia,
      Francis I. of Austria, and Frederic William III. of
      Prussia, at Paris, on the 26th of September, 1815, and
      subsequently joined by all the sovereigns of Europe,
      except the pope and the king of England.

   Holy bark. See Cascara sagrada.

   Holy Communion. See Eucharist.

   Holy family (Art), a picture in which the infant Christ,
      his parents, and others of his family are represented.

   Holy Father, a title of the pope.

   Holy Ghost (Theol.), the third person of the Trinity; the
      Comforter; the Paraclete.

   Holy Grail. See Grail.

   Holy grass (Bot.), a sweet-scented grass (Hierochloa
      borealis and Hierochloa alpina). In the north of Europe
      it was formerly strewed before church doors on saints'
      days; whence the name. It is common in the northern and
      western parts of the United States. Called also vanilla
      grass or Seneca grass.

   Holy Innocents' day, Childermas day.

   Holy Land, Palestine, the birthplace of Christianity.

   Holy office, the Inquisition.

   Holy of holies (Script.), the innermost apartment of the
      Jewish tabernacle or temple, where the ark was kept, and
      where no person entered, except the high priest once a
      year.

   Holy One.
      (a) The Supreme Being; -- so called by way of emphasis. "
          The Holy One of Israel." --Is. xliii. 14.
      (b) One separated to the service of God.

   Holy orders. See Order.

   Holy rood, the cross or crucifix, particularly one placed,
      in churches. over the entrance to the chancel.

   Holy rope, a plant, the hemp agrimony.

   Holy Saturday (Eccl.), the Saturday immediately preceding
      the festival of Easter; the vigil of Easter.

   Holy Spirit, same as Holy Ghost (above).

   Holy Spirit plant. See Dove plant.

   Holy thistle (Bot.), the blessed thistle. See under
      Thistle.

   Holy Thursday. (Eccl.)
      (a) (Episcopal Ch.) Ascension day.
      (b) (R. C. Ch.) The Thursday in Holy Week; Maundy
          Thursday.

   Holy war, a crusade; an expedition carried on by Christians
      against the Saracens in the Holy Land, in the eleventh,
      twelfth, and thirteenth centuries, for the possession of
      the holy places.

   Holy water (Gr. & R. C. Churches), water which has been
      blessed by the priest for sacred purposes.

   Holy-water stoup, the stone stoup or font placed near the
      entrance of a church, as a receptacle for holy water.

   Holy Week (Eccl.), the week before Easter, in which the
      passion of our Savior is commemorated.

   Holy writ, the sacred Scriptures. " Word of holy writ."
      --Wordsworth.
      [1913 Webster]