Turf
Turf (tûrf) , noun
[Anglo-Saxon turf; akin to Dutch turf peat, German torf, Old High German zurba turf, Swedish & Icelandic torf turf, peat, Danish torv, Sanskrit darbha a kind of grass, a tuft of grass. r242.]
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. [Obsolete]
At his head a grass-green turf.
The Greek historian sets her in the field on a high heap of turves.
2.
Peat, especially when prepared for fuel. See Peat.
3.
Race course; horse racing; -- preceded by the.
We... claim the honors of the turf.
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.
Collocations (6)
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.
Turf , transitive verb
To cover with turf or sod; as, to turf a bank, or the border of a terrace. — A. Tucker