graze
/ɡɹeɪz/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.02 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To eat small amounts of food periodically throughout the day, rather than at fixed mealtimes, often not in response to hunger.
Intransitive verb
Example Sentences
- "If it be sundown, when the herds are returning from their daily graze in the long grass of the jungle, clouds of dust will be marking their track along every approach to the village […]"
- "He hath a Houſe and Barn in repair, a Field or two to graze his Cows, with a Garden and Orchard."
- "Although it is perfectly good meadowland, none of the villagers has ever grazed animals on the meadow on the other side of the wall."
- "Cattle graze in the meadows."
- "The lambs vvith vvolves ſhall graze the verdant mead, / And boys in flovv'ry bands the tyger lead; […]"
- "The bird [Canada goose] is more often found on land than other waterfowl because of its love for seeds and grains. The long neck is well adapted for grazing."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *grasą Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *grasōną Proto-West Germanic *grasōn Old English grasian Middle English grasen English graze Inherited from Middle English grasen (“to feed with grass”), from Old English grasian, from Proto-West Germanic *grasōn, from Proto-Germanic *grasōną, from *grasą (“grass”) + *-ōną (verbal suffix). Doublet of grass.