grass family

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

grass′ fam′ily, 

1. Plant Biology the large plant family Gramineae (or Poaceae), characterized by mostly herbaceous but sometimes woody plants with hollow and jointed stems, narrow sheathing leaves, petalless flowers borne in spikelets, and fruit in the form of seedlike grain, and including bamboo, sugar cane, numerous grasses, and cereal grains such as barley, corn, oats, rice, rye, and wheat.