— thatchless , adj. — thatchy , adj.
/thach/ , n.
1. Also, thatching . a material, as straw, rushes, leaves, or the like, used to cover roofs, grain stacks, etc.
2. a covering of such a material.
3. the leaves of various palms that are used for thatching.
4. something resembling thatch on a roof, esp. thick hair covering the head: a thatch of unruly red hair.
5. Hort. a tightly bound layer of dead grass, including leaves, stems, and roots, that builds up on the soil surface at the base of the living grass of a lawn.
v.t.
6. to cover with or as if with thatch.
7. Hort. to remove thatch from (a lawn); dethatch.
[ bef. 900; (v.) ME thacchen, var. (with a from thak > dial. thack ) of thecchen, OE theccan to cover, hide; c. D dekken (see DECK), G decken, ON thekja; (n.) ME thacche, var. (with ch from the v.) of thak ]