straw
n. C / Un. a thin tube made of plastic or paper used for drinking liquids. It can also mean the dried yellow stems of wheat or other plants used for animal beds.
n. a thin, hollow tube used for sucking liquid into the mouth; also refers to the dried stalks of grain used as fodder or bedding for livestock.
She drinks her iced coffee through a paper straw.
The farmer spread fresh straw across the floor of the barn to keep the horses warm during the winter.
Environmental regulations have led many restaurants to replace plastic straws with biodegradable alternatives, though some consumers find the paper versions less durable during extended use.
From Middle English straw, from Old English strēaw, from Proto-West Germanic strau, from Proto-Germanic strawą (“that which is strewn, straw”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread around, strew”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sträi (“straw”), West Frisian strie (“straw”), Dutch stro (“straw”), German Low German Stroh (“straw”), German Stroh (“straw”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish strå (“straw”), Icelandic strá (“straw”), Walloon strin, Albanian shtrohë (“kennel”).
Uncountable when referring to the plant material as a mass; countable when referring to the individual drinking tubes.