THATCH

I. transitive verb Etymology: Middle English thecchen, from Old English theccan to cover; akin to Old High German decchen to cover, Latin tegere, Greek stegein to cover, stegos roof, Sanskrit sthagati he covers Date: 14th century to cover with or as if with ~, ~er noun II. noun Date: 14th century 1. a plant material (as straw) used as a sheltering cover especially of a house, a sheltering cover (as a house roof) made of such material, a mat of undecomposed plant material (as grass clippings) accumulated next to the soil in a grassy area (as a lawn), something likened to the ~ of a house