Defn: A genus of endogenous herbs with grassy leaves and small yellow flowers in short, scaly-bracted spikes; yellow-eyed grass. There are about seventeen species in the Atlantic United States.
XYST; XYSTUS
Xyst, Xys"tus, n. Etym: [L. xystus, Gr. (Anc. Arch.)
Defn: A long and open portico, for athletic exercises, as wrestling, running, etc., for use in winter or in stormy weather.
XYSTARCH
Xyst"arch, n. Etym: [L. xystarches, Gr. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: An office Dr. W. Smith.
XYSTER
Xys"ter, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Surg.)
Defn: An instrument for scraping bone.
Y
Defn: Y, the twenty-fifth letter of the English alphabet, at the beginning of a word or syllable, except when a prefix (see Y-), is usually a fricative vocal consonant; as a prefix, and usually in the middle or at the end of a syllable, it is a vowel. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 145, 178-9, 272.
Note: It derives its form from the Latin Y, which is from the Greek u, i, o, and j. g; as in full, fill, AS. fyllan; E. crypt, grotto; young, juvenile; day, AS. dæg. See U, I, and J, G.