A plant that dries up and breaks away from its roots, then rolls across the ground in the wind, scattering seeds.
Compound of 'tumble' (to roll over and over) and 'weed' (plant). The term emerged in American English in the 1800s as settlers observed Russian thistle and other plants rolling across prairie and desert landscapes.
Tumbleweeds aren't actually native to America—they came from Russia as seeds mixed in grain imports in the 1870s, and now they're so iconic in Western movies that everyone thinks they've always been here!
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