thatch

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) Straw, rushes, or similar, used for making or covering the roofs of buildings, or of stacks of hay or grain.
2. (Caribbean, countable, uncountable) Any of several kinds of palm, the leaves of which are used for thatching.
3. (countable, uncountable) A buildup of cut grass, stolons or other material on the soil in a lawn.
4. (broadly, countable, uncountable) Any straw-like material, such as a person's hair.

Verb

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

Synonyms

roof

straw

grass

roof covering

cover

haulm

covering

thatched roof

shack

shingle

square

thatching

thatched house

thatch roof

be roofed with

cover with roofing

straw roofing

cover fully

blade of grass

straw roof

bunch

cover up

cupola

dome

herbs

mulch

rushes

Translations

chaume

paja

Dachstroh

colmo

palha

Strohdach

riet

stro

stoppie

toiture de chaume

αχυροσκεπή

zazzera

قش التسقيف

paglia per la copertura di tetti

Pronounced as (IPA)

/θæt͡ʃ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: thach

Inherited from Old English: þæc

Cognate with Icelandic: þak

Cognate with Dutch: dak

Cognate with German: Dach

Cognate with Norwegian: tak

Cognate with Swedish: tak

Cognate with Danish: tag

Cognate with Latin: toga

Cognate with Albanian: thak

Cognate with Lithuanian: stogas

Cognate with Ancient Greek: τέγος

Inherited from Middle English: thacchen

Inherited from Old English: þeċċan

Cognate with Western Frisian: dekke

Cognate with Dutch: dekken

Cognate with German: decken

Cognate with Danish: tække

Cognate with Swedish: täcka

In summary

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