thatch

• IPA^(key): /θætʃ/

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• Rhymes: -ætʃ

Variant of thack, from Old English þæc (“roof-covering”), from Proto-Germanic *þaką (“covering”), from (o-grade of) Proto-Indo-European *teg- (“cover”). Cognate with Icelandic þak, Dutch dak, German Dach, Norwegian and Swedish tak, Danish tag; and with Latin toga, Albanian thak (“awn, beard, pin, peg, tassel, fringe”), Lithuanian stogas (“roof”). See also English deech, deck.

thatch (countable and uncountable, plural thatches)

1. Straw, rushes, or the like, used for making or covering the roofs of buildings, or of stacks of hay or grain.
2. A name in the West Indies for several kinds of palm, the leaves of which are used for thatching.
3. A buildup of cut grass, stolons or other material on the soil in a lawn.

• (Straw for covering roofs or stacks): haulm

From Middle English thecchen, from Old English, þeċċan, þeċċean, from Proto-Germanic *þakjaną. Cognate with West Frisian dekke, Dutch dekken, German decken, Danish tække, Swedish täcka.

thatch (third-person singular simple present thatches, present participle thatching, simple past and past participle thatched)

1. To cover the roof with straw, reed, leaves, etc.

• bethatch

• hatcht