Yorkshire Fog
/ˈjɔːrk.ʃər fɒɡ/noun
A perennial grass, Holcus lanatus, with soft, hairy leaves and pale, branching flower heads.
Did you know?“Yorkshire fog” is not botanically related to misty fog; in this name, “fog” is an old northern English word for coarse grass or meadow aftergrowth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic
Proto-Celtic
*eburos
“Yew tree; the probable source of the ancient name underlying York.”
Roman Britain
Latin
Eboracum
“The Roman name for York, adapted from a Brittonic place-name probably meaning “place of yew trees.””
Old English
Old English
Eoforwic
“York; an English reinterpretation traditionally understood as “boar settlement.””
Middle English
Middle English
York
“The developing English form of the city’s name, later combined with shire, meaning a county or administrative district.”
16th Century
Northern English
fog
“Coarse or second-growth grass left after haymaking or grazing; unrelated to the atmospheric word fog.”
Modern English
English
Yorkshire fog
“The common name for Holcus lanatus, a widespread grass associated with meadows, roadsides, and disturbed ground.”