GRAS
nafnorðhvorugkyn
n. [Ulf. gras = χόρτος, λάχανον; A. S. græs and gærs; Engl. grass; Germ. gras; Swed. and Dan. gras]:—grass, herbage, opp. to wood, trees, Vsp. 3, Fm. 25, Hm. 20; hrísi ok grasi, 120; grös ok viðu, Rb. 78; fölr sem gras, Nj. 177; góðir landa-kostir at grösum ok skógum, Fs. 26; svá er sagt, at á Grænlandi eru grös góð, good pastures, Sks. 44 new Ed.; reyta gras, to pick grass, Nj. 118; þar var náliga til grass at ganga (better görs), Ld. 96; bíta gras, to graze, Grág. ii. 299; gras grær, grass grows, Edda 145 (pref.); tak af reiðinginn ok fær hestinn á gras, Sturl. iii. 114; þú ætlaðir mik þat lítilmenni at ek munda hirða hvar hestar þínir bitu gras, Fs. 57; þar þótti Grelöðu hunangs-ilmr ór grasi, Landn. 140: vegetation, in such phrases as, þar sem mætist gras ok fjara, grass and beach, Dipl. iii. 11: the grassy earth, opp. to a wilderness or the sea, þat var í ofanverðum grösum, high up, near the wilderness, Dropl. 33; allt austr undir jökla sem grös eru vaxin, Landn. 65:—phrases, hníga í gras, to bite the dust, Ísl. ii. 366; mun ek hafa mann fyrir mik áðr ek hníga at grasi, Njarð. 378; lúta í gras, id., Fbr. 90 new Ed.; heyra gras gróa, to hear the grass grow (of the god Heimdal), cp. Edda 17: sugared language is said to make the grass grow, við hvert orð þótti grös gróa, Clar.; þau vóru orðin, at gróa þóttu grösin við, Mirm.: ganga eptir e-m með grasið í skónum, to go after one with grass in one’s shoes, i. e. to beg hard, intercede meekly with one who is cross and angry.
2. a herb, a kind of grass; ek hefi þat eitt gras, etc., Fms. ix. 282; af grasi því er vér köllum hvann-njóla, x. 336: esp. in plur. herbs with healing powers, þau grös sem mandragore heita, Stj. 175; afl dauðfærandi grasa, Johann. 26; með góðum grösum, Blas. 43; ilmuð grös, sweet herbs, Bb. 2. 20; tína grös, to clean grass, pick the moss clean:—botan. in plur., Iceland moss, Jb. 310; and in composition, brönu-grös, mandrake; esp. of lichens, fjalla-grös, fell lichen, Lichen Islandicus; fjöru-grös, seaweeds, sea-wrack; Gvendar-grös, id.; Mariu-grös, lichen nivalis; Munda-grös, lichen coacervatus edilis; trölla-grös, lichen albus.
COMPDS: grasafjall, grasafólk, grasagrautr, grasaleit, grasamjólk, grasapoki.