sedge Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun grasslike or rushlike plant growing in wet places having solid stems, narrow grasslike leaves and spikelets of inconspicuous flowers

WordNet

Sedge noun
Etymology
OE. segge, AS. secg; akin to LG. segge; -- probably named from its bladelike appearance, and akin to L. secare to cut, E. saw a cutting instrument; cf. Ir. seisg, W. hesg. Cf. Hassock, Saw the instrument.
Definitions
  1. (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Carex, perennial, endogenous herbs, often growing in dense tufts in marshy places. They have triangular jointless stems, a spiked inflorescence, and long grasslike leaves which are usually rough on the margins and midrib. There are several hundred species. ✍ The name is sometimes given to any other plant of the order Cyperaceæ, which includes Carex, Cyperus, Scirpus, and many other genera of rushlike plants.
  2. (Zoöl.) A flock of herons.

Webster 1913