turf

English

/tɝf/, /tɜːf/

noun
Definitions
  • (uncountable) A layer of earth covered with grass; sod.
  • (countable) A piece of such a layer cut from the soil. May be used as sod to make a lawn, dried for peat, stacked to form earthen structures, etc.
  • (countable) A sod of peat used as fuel.
  • (uncountable) The territory claimed by a person, gang, etc. as their own.
  • (uncountable) A racetrack; or the sport of racing horses.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English turf inherited from Old English turf (soil, greensward, sod, turf, piece of grass covered earth) inherited from *turb inherited from Proto-Germanic *turbz (lawn, turf) derived from Proto-Indo-European *derbʰ- (grass, tuft, wind, weave, twist, tie together), *derbʰ- (grass, tuft, wind, weave, twist, tie together).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*derbʰ-

Gloss

grass, tuft, wind, weave, twist, tie together

Concept
Semantic Field

Agriculture and vegetation

Ontological Category

Person/Thing

Kanji

草

Emoji
🏡 🐄 🐏 🐑 🐮

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms