| / English Dictionary |
STRAW
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A thin paper or plastic tube used to suck liquids into the mouth
Synonyms:
drinking straw; straw
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("straw" is a kind of...):
tube; tubing (conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A variable yellow tint; dull yellow, often diluted with white
Synonyms:
pale yellow; straw; wheat
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("straw" is a kind of...):
yellow; yellowness (yellow color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of sunflowers or ripe lemons)
Derivation:
straw (of a pale yellow color like straw; straw-colored)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
Synonyms:
chaff; husk; shuck; stalk; straw; stubble
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("straw" is a kind of...):
plant material; plant substance (material derived from plants)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "straw"):
bran (broken husks of the seeds of cereal grains that are separated from the flour by sifting)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
Classified under:
Nouns denoting substances
Hypernyms ("straw" is a kind of...):
plant fiber; plant fibre (fiber derived from plants)
Holonyms ("straw" is a substance of...):
cushioning; padding (artifact consisting of soft or resilient material used to fill or give shape or protect or add comfort)
Derivation:
straw (cover or provide with or as if with straw)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Of a pale yellow color like straw; straw-colored
Classified under:
Similar:
chromatic (being or having or characterized by hue)
Derivation:
straw (a variable yellow tint; dull yellow, often diluted with white)
III. (verb)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Spread by scattering (
Example:
strew toys all over the carpet
Synonyms:
straw; strew
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "straw" is one way to...):
distribute; spread (distribute or disperse widely)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "straw"):
bestrew (cover by strewing)
litter (make a place messy by strewing garbage around)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP
Sense 2
Meaning:
Cover or provide with or as if with straw
Example:
cows were strawed to weather the snowstorm
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Hypernyms (to "straw" is one way to...):
cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Derivation:
straw (plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder)
Context examples:
All of us, without a word, shook hands with Professor Challenger, who raised his straw hat and bowed deeply to each in turn.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The press marked E was unlocked; and I took out the drawer, had it filled up with straw and tied in a sheet, and returned with it to Cavendish Square.
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
Well, she had a slate-coloured, broad-brimmed straw hat, with a feather of a brickish red.
(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I beat out the burning remnants of straw in the bunk, then made a dash for the deck for fresh air.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
She was pretty and soft, but she weighed one hundred and twenty pounds—a lusty last straw to the load dragged by the weak and starving animals.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
It was the last straw, but Martin gripped the arms of his chair and talked and listened for half an hour.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
Banning plastic bags and straws in coastal areas and putting in place stronger recycling programmes and beach clean-ups can help solve the problem.
(Plastic debris linked to coral disease, death, SciDev.Net)
The coat comes in shades of brown, red or tan ranging from a dead-grass-straw color to a deep dark brown with red overtones.
(Chesapeake Bay Retriever, NCI Thesaurus)
It was a gloomy, high-ceilinged room at the back of the house, with a straw litter in one corner, which served apparently as a bed for the cook.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
One example is the burning of straw residues during harvest, which is responsible for carbon dioxide emissions and respiratory problems due to inhalation of smoke and soot.
(Method that cuts sugarcane emissions gets global prize, SciDev.Net)
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