turf
Noun · VerbOpen English WordNet
Noun (3)turves, turfs
- surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass rootsSynonyms: sodswardgreenswardType of land, groundKinds divot
- the territory claimed by a juvenile gang as its ownType of city district
- range of jurisdiction or influence“a bureaucracy … chiefly concerned with turf … and protecting the retirement system”Type of jurisdiction
Verb (1)turfs, turfed, turfing
- cover (the ground) with a surface layer of grass or grass rootsMore general cover
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: AS. turf; akin to D. turf peat, G. torf, OHG. zurba turf, Sw. & Icel. torf turf, peat, Dan. törv, Skr. darbha a kind of grass, a tuft of grass. √242.
1. That upper stratum of earth and vegetable mold which is filled with the roots of grass and other small plants, so as to adhere and form a kind of mat; sward; sod.
At his head a grass-green turf.— William Shakespeare
The Greek historian sets her in the field on a high heap of turves.— John Milton
2. Peat, especially when prepared for fuel. See Peat.
3. Race course; horse racing; — preceded by the. “We... claim the honors of the turf.” William Cowper
☞ Turf is often used adjectively, or to form compounds which are generally self-explaining; as, turf ashes, turf cutter or turf-cutter, turf pit or turf-pit, turf-built, turf-clad, turf-covered, etc.
Turf ant Zoology, a small European ant (Formica flava) which makes small ant-hills on heaths and commons. — Turf drain, a drain made with turf or peat. — Turf hedge, a hedge or fence formed with turf and plants of different kinds. — Turf house, a house or shed formed of turf, common in the northern parts of Europe. — Turf moss a tract of turfy, mossy, or boggy land. — Turf spade, a spade for cutting and digging turf, longer and narrower than the common spade.
To cover with turf or sod; as, to turf a bank, or the border of a terrace. Abraham Tucker
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54