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old-man's-beard (ōld′mănz-bîrd)

1. Any of various lichens of the genus Usnea having tangled grayish-green strands that hang from tree branches.

2. Any of several clematis plants having feathery plumed seeds.

3. See fringe tree.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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