Definition of Tumbleweed

1. Noun. Any plant that breaks away from its roots in autumn and is driven by the wind as a light rolling mass.

Generic synonyms: Weed

2. Noun. Prickly bushy Eurasian plant; a troublesome weed in central and western United States.

3. Noun. Bushy annual weed of central North America having greenish flowers and winged seeds.
Exact synonyms: Cycloloma Atriplicifolium, Winged Pigweed
Group relationships: Cycloloma, Genus Cycloloma
Generic synonyms: Bush, Shrub

4. Noun. Bushy plant of western United States.
Exact synonyms: Amaranthus Albus, Amaranthus Graecizans
Generic synonyms: Amaranth

Definition of Tumbleweed

1. n. Any plant which habitually breaks away from its roots in the autumn, and is driven by the wind, as a light, rolling mass, over the fields and prairies; as witch grass, wild indigo, Amarantus albus, etc.

Definition of Tumbleweed

1. Noun. Any plant which habitually breaks away from its roots in the autumn, and is driven by the wind, as a light, rolling mass, over the fields and prairies; as witch grass, wild indigo, ''Amaranthus albus'', etc. ¹

2. Adjective. Describing unwonted silence and inactivity. Often used of a situation when one makes a statement that is ignored or ill-received from one’s audience. Gives the impression that a tumbleweed has passed through the room, as the resultant silence is likened to that of a desolate desert. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Tumbleweed

1. [n -S]

Medical Definition of Tumbleweed

1. Any plant which habitually breaks away from its roots in the autumn, and is driven by the wind, as a light, rolling mass, over the fields and prairies; as witch grass, wild indigo, Amarantus albus, etc. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Tumbleweed

tumbledown
tumbledung
tumbledungs
tumblehome
tumblehomes
tumbler
tumbler pigeon
tumblerful
tumblerfuls
tumblers
tumblersful
tumbles
tumbleset
tumblesets
tumbleth
tumbleweed (current term)
tumbleweed moment
tumbleweeds
tumbling
tumbling mill
tumblings
tumbrel
tumbrels
tumbril
tumbrils
tumbu dermal myiasis
tumchaite
tumefacient
tumefaction
tumefactions

Literary usage of Tumbleweed

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Blossom Babies: How to Tell the Life Story to Little Children by Mara Louise Pratt-Chadwick (1918)
"... tumbleweed CHILDREN NOT far from the Ragweed and the Maple stood a little Oak, and along the roadside stood funny, ball-shaped plants, as brown and dry ..."

2. The Future of Arid Grasslands: Identifying Issues, Seeking Solutions edited by Barbara Tellman (1999)
"tumbleweed (Salsola kalt) Another introduction to South Dakota from Russia was tumbleweed, probably brought by the same Mennonite farmers. ..."

3. The Bookman (1917)
"tumbleweed. By Alice M. Colter. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company ... The romance of a young girl nicknamed tumbleweed because of her gay and airy ..."

4. Lake Maxinkuckee: A Physical and Biological Survey by Barton Warren Evermann, Howard Walton Clark (1920)
"It was the same year that the tumbleweed or winged tumbleweed, Cycloloma, made its appearance at the lake, although it had been seen several miles west of ..."

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