meadow

American  

[med-oh] / ˈmɛd oʊ /

noun

1. a tract of grassland used for pasture or serving as a hayfield.

   Synonyms:

   field , range , green

2. a tract of grassland in an upland area near the timberline.

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meadow British  

/ ˈmɛdəʊ /

noun

1. an area of grassland, often used for hay or for grazing of animals

2. a low-lying piece of grassland, often boggy and near a river

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Other Word Forms

• meadowless adjective
• meadowy adjective

Etymology

Origin of meadow

before 1000; Middle English medwe, Old English mǣdw-, oblique stem of mǣd mead ²; akin to German Matte

Example Sentences

The road cuts through a thick oak forest and opens briefly near a meadow where sturdy and patient Basque horses graze and pose for photos with passers-by, mostly Camino pilgrims.

From Salon

As a bee lover I am on team pollinator - which is one of the reasons why my husband and I decided to plant our own wildflower meadow.

From BBC

Runners camped out in a meadow the night before and woke up at 3 a.m.

From The Wall Street Journal

He said: "Indeed, the proposed plans will remove modern classroom blocks from around Leaden Hall and open up the view of the west façade from the water meadows."

From BBC

Lynn Boulton, the Sierra Club’s local conservation chair, walked along a dirt road to what was once a marshy alkali meadow.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• grassland
• pasture
• plain
• prairie