brushy

adj

Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰers- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *bʰr̥stís Proto-Germanic *burstiz Frankish *burstibor. Vulgar Latin *brustia Old French broissebor. Middle English brusshe English brush Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English brushy From brush + -y.

1. Having a similar texture to a fox’s tail; brushlike, bushy.

   “It [a dormouse] dipped its brushy tail (somewhat resembling that of a fox) into the dish, and carried the milk in this manner to the mouth.”

   “The northern variety living in the forests of New South Wales and Queensland have smaller ears, shorter feet and a longer, brushier tail than those in the Victorian woods to the south.”

2. Of the countryside: having thick vegetation, taller than grass but shorter than trees; having abundant brush; shrubby.

   “Throughout much of northern Alaska, tundra is becoming brushier and giving way to forest. As tundra diminishes, animals that depend on it for food or nesting habitat—caribou and many birds—are likely to lose out.”