turf en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /tøːf/ (New-Zealand, Wales)
- /tɝf/ (General-American)
- (Australia) audio
- /teːf/ Liverpool, fair–fur merger
- /tɜːf/ (Australia, Received-Pronunciation)
- /tʌɾf/ (Scotland)
- /tɛːf/ Humberside, Teesside, fair–fur merger
Etymology
From Middle English turf, torf, from Old English turf (“turf, sod, soil, piece of grass-covered earth, greensward”), from Proto-West Germanic *turb (“turf, peat”), from Proto-Germanic *turbz (“turf, lawn”), from Proto-Indo-European *derbʰ- (“tuft, grass”). Cognates Cognate with Scots turr, truff (“turf, peat”), Dutch turf (“turf”), Middle Low German torf (“peat, turf”) (whence German Torf and German Low German Torf), Danish tørv (“peat”), Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish torv (“turf”), Norn *torv (“peat”), French tourbe (“peat”), Finnish turve (“turf”), Lithuanian darbas (“bunch of leaves”), durpės (“peat”), Sanskrit दर्भ (darbhá, “a type of grass”), दूर्वा (dū́rvā, “bent grass”). Not cognate with Danish torv (“square, market, marketplace”), which is instead inherited from Old Norse torg (“marketplace”), from Old East Slavic търгъ (tŭrgŭ, “trade, trading, commerce, trade square”), ultimately from Proto-Slavic *tъ̑rgъ (“merchandise, commodity, wares”).
Meanings
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(uncountable) A layer of earth covered with grass; sod.
Miss Thorn began digging up the turf with her lofter: it was a painful moment for me. ¶ “You might at least have tried me, Mrs. Cooke,” I said.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter VIII, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:It was a sixth successive defeat for Klopp in a major final and at the final whistle, with Karius burying his face into the turf, there was not exactly a stampede of team-mates wanting to console him.
2018 May 26, Daniel Taylor, “Liverpool go through after Mohamed Salah stops Manchester City fightback”, in The Guardian (London):
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(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.
Frodo and Sam went forward and saw that amidst the clamorous host were set three high-seats built of green turves.
1955, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Return of the King:"It's an old custom the people had when they bought and sold land. They used to cut out a clod and hand it over to the buyer, and you weren't lawfully seised of your land - it didn't really belong to you - till the other fellow had actually given you a piece of it - like this." He held out the turves.
1906, Rudyard Kipling, Puck of Pook's Hill:
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(countable) A block of peat used as fuel.
In ordinary peat-bogs, however, where turves are cut, there is always a large percentage of waste peat resulting from the digging, drying or transport of the turves, which can be utilized only by moulding it.
1908, Karl Gayer and W. R. Fisher, edited by Sir William Schlich, Forest Utilization (Schlich's Manual of Forestry):[…] the fireman has to divide his time between getting up into the bunker to throw more turfs into the cab, and getting down on his hands and knees to get it into the firebox, and even then a reserve supply of turf must be carried on a truck behind the engine, and stops must be made on each steep ascent to raise more steam.
1945 January and February, “Notes and News: Locomotive Firing with Turf”, in Railway Magazine, page 46:
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(countable, uncountable) A thick, carpet-like bed of algae.
The turf layer is made up of filamentous and thallose red algae.
1980, An Ecological Characterization of the Pacific Northwest Coastal Region, volumes 1-2, page 84:
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(specifically, uncountable) A surface of synthetic fibers made to look like grass; artificial turf.
And accommodating all those events has made it harder and harder for teams to maintain grass fields. It's easier, cheaper and less time-consuming just to throw turf down and call it a day, hence artificial surfaces popping up even in outdoor stadiums and Sun-Belt cities such as Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn.
2023 September 13, Albert Breer, “In Grass Vs. Turf Debate, NFL Owners Still Won't Spend to Protect Their Players”, in Sports Illustrated, New York, N.Y.: Arena Group Holdings, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 14 Sep 2023:Thunder Bay Coun. Mark Bentz has put forward a referral of a motion that would see the indoor turf facility capped at around $30 million. Councillors voted in favour of the decision, which will see further consultations with user groups about how to re-scope the project.
2023 November 21, Sarah Law, “Thunder Bay's long-awaited indoor turf facility delayed again as council seeks to cut costs”, in CBC News, archived from the original on 15 Dec 2023:In climates where grass struggles to grow, turf is usually used instead on sports fields.
The Niners have nine games left on the schedule, and only one visit to a turf field. That turf in Seattle is not slit film; while the NFL admits slit film fields lead to more ankle sprains, the league insists that turf is otherwise no more dangerous than grass.
2022 November 13, Dennis Young, “49ers continue fight against turf fields: 'Owners choose to save money'”, in SFGate, archived from the original on 12 Oct 2023:
- (slang, uncountable) A territory claimed by a gang as their own.
- (broadly, uncountable) A person's domain or sphere of influence.
- (uncountable, with-definite-article) A racetrack, hippodrome.
- (uncountable, with-definite-article) The sport of racing horses.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| turves | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| turfs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
macroturf · turf war · turf roof · turf-fire · on the turf · unturf · buffalo turf · turf toe · surf and turf · blood and turf · turfdom · turfcutter · turf maze · turflike · turfgrass · turfen · go with the turf · Smurf turf · turf accountant · lilyturf · turfism · turf-roof · turf ski · turfless · AstroTurf · turf-roofed · come with the turf · turf bank · turf ant · turfman · turfy · home turf · turfite · artificial turf · turf advisor · turf spade · returf · turfage · turfwise
Translations (83)
pt quebrada ((slang) the territory claimed by a person, gang, etc. as their own) · cs trávník (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · pt hipódromo (a racetrack) · es césped (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · fr gazon (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · fi nurmi (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · fi rata (a racetrack) · es terreno (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · vi địa bàn ((slang) the territory claimed by a person, gang, etc. as their own) · fi reviiri ((slang) the territory claimed by a person, gang, etc. as their own) · no gressmatte (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · hy ճիմ (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · it erba (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · cs drn (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · fi nurmikerros (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · eo torfo (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · sv torva (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · it zolla d'erba (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · gd fàd (a piece of peat used as fuel) · el γρασίδι (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · bg чим (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · grc βῶλος (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · izh turve (a piece of peat used as fuel) · ota چیم (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · es champa (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · es turf (a racetrack) · lv velēna (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · bg торф (a piece of peat used as fuel) · la caespes (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · oc tepa (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · de Grassode (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · fr champ de courses (a racetrack) · el χλοοτάπητας (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · es césped (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · it zolla erbosa (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · oc pelena (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · sv torv (a piece of peat used as fuel) · la caespes (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · fr hippodrome (a racetrack) · pt torrão (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · el έδαφος ((slang) the territory claimed by a person, gang, etc. as their own) · pdt Sood (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · nl renbaan (a racetrack) · ru дёрн (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · nl gazon (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · es turf (the sport of horse racing) · gd fòid (a piece of peat used as fuel) · ca gespa (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · bg чим (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · pt turfa (a piece of peat used as fuel) · it torba (a piece of peat used as fuel) · fi nurmimatto (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · lv velēna (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · el ιπποδρόμιο (a racetrack) · ota چیم (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · ru дёрн (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · cs pažit (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · cs drn (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · nl turf (a piece of peat used as fuel) · is torf (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · sh travni tepih (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · eo turfo (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · fr une motte f de gazon (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · cs turf (a racetrack) · no ferdigplen (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · pt gramado (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · fi turve (a piece of peat used as fuel) · gd fòid (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · hy ճիմ (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · nl graszode (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · es turba (a piece of peat used as fuel) · pt turfe (a racetrack) · no torv (a piece of peat used as fuel) · is torfa (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · es gallón (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · cs rašelina (a piece of peat used as fuel) · nl grasveld (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · es tepe (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · es territorio (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · de Rasen (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod) · fi nurmi (a piece of such a layer cut from the soil and used to make a lawn) · sv täppa ((slang) the territory claimed by a person, gang, etc. as their own) · el χλόη (a layer of earth covered with grass; sod)