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Definition of horsetail
horsetail
/ˈhɔːrs.teɪl/
horse · tail
Plural:horsetails
horsetail Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
7
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
horsetail Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
Scrabble UK
WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
The tail of a horse, consisting of a fleshy dock covered in long, coarse hair.
Example
"The groom gently brushed the horsetail to remove tangles and dried mud after a long ride through the countryside."
2
A non-flowering, spore-producing plant of the genus Equisetum, characterized by distinctively jointed, ridged stems and an abrasive texture due to its high silica content.
Example
"The biology students collected specimens of green horsetail growing abundantly in the damp, marshy soil near the stream."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for horsetailWord Origin & Etymology
Middle English 'horsetail', formed as a compound of 'horse' and 'tail'. First recorded in the mid-16th century to describe the plant due to its visual resemblance to the hairy tail of a horse.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Horsetail. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 16, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/horsetail