Job's-tears
[ johbz-teerz ]
/ ˈdʒoʊbzˈtɪərz /
noun
(used with a plural verb)
the hard, nearly spherical bracts that surround the female flowers of an Asian grass, Coix lacryma-jobi, and which when ripe are used as beads.
(used with a singular verb)
the grass itself.
Origin of Job's-tears
First recorded in 1590–1600
British Dictionary definitions for job's-tears
Job's-tears
noun
(functioning as singular)
a tropical Asian grass, Coix lacryma-jobi, cultivated for its white beadlike modified leaves, which contain edible seeds
(functioning as plural)
the beadlike structures of this plant, used as rosary or ornamental beads