horsetail Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun perennial rushlike flowerless herbs with jointed hollow stems and narrow toothlike leaves that spread by creeping rhizomes; tend to become weedy; common in northern hemisphere; some in Africa and South America

WordNet

Horse"tail` noun
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) A leafless plant, with hollow and rushlike stems. It is of the genus Equisetum, and is allied to the ferns. See Illust. of Equisetum.
  2. A Turkish standard, denoting rank. ✍ Commanders are distinguished by the number of horsetails carried before them. Thus, the sultan has seven, the grand vizier five, and the pashas three, two, or one.

Webster 1913