Meaning & use
arctic moss
Last updated
UK/ˈɑːktɪk mɒs/
US/ˈɑːrktɪk mɔːs/
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountablebiology
Any of several small, low-growing mosses that live in the cold, treeless regions near the North Pole.
Grammar: Countable for a type, uncountable for the plant growth: a layer of arctic moss.
Patterns
- a carpet of arctic moss
Arctic moss covered the rocks near the glacier.
Caribou graze on arctic moss and lichen in winter.
A thick cushion of arctic moss held the soil in place.
Word forms
| plural | arctic mosses |
|---|
Common combinations
- carpet of arctic moss
- A carpet of arctic moss spread over the tundra.
- patch of arctic moss
- We sat on a patch of arctic moss.
- arctic moss and lichen
- The slopes were green with arctic moss and lichen.
- thick arctic moss
- Thick arctic moss helps insulate the permafrost.
- grow arctic moss
- Few plants grow arctic moss so far north.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tundra moss
- Tundra moss describes where the moss grows and is less specific about region than arctic moss.
- lichen
- Lichen is a partnership of fungus and algae often found with moss, but it is a different organism.
- bryophyte
- Bryophyte is the scientific group that includes all mosses, so it is broader than arctic moss.
Word family
Commonly confused: arctic moss or reindeer moss?
arctic moss vs reindeer moss
Reindeer moss is actually a lichen eaten by reindeer, not a true moss.
Practice
Where would you most likely find arctic moss growing?
Choose one answer.
Arctic moss is adapted to cold, treeless northern land. Deserts and tropical places are too hot or dry.
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