grafter

¹

[ graf-ter, grahf- ]

noun

1. Horticulture. a person who combines plants by inserting a bud, shoot, or scion of one plant into a groove or slit in the stem or stock of another, where it continues to grow:

   Join us for a fun time as newbies and seasoned grafters mingle and swap cuttings of various fruit trees.

grafter

²

[ graf-ter, grahf- ]

noun

1. a person who obtains money or other advantage by dishonest, unfair, or illegal means, especially through the abuse of position or influence in politics, business, etc.:

   For 17 years she had been writing newspaper stories about grafters—crooked bankers, corrupt politicians, and the like—and winning armloads of journalism awards for it.

2. British Slang. a worker, especially a particularly industrious or dedicated worker:

   To succeed in this job you also need to be a real grafter, someone eager for a chance to work hard in an ever-growing company.

Word History and Origins

Origin of grafter¹

graft ¹( def ) + -er ¹( def )

Origin of grafter²

graft ² + -er ¹( def )

Example Sentences

At the graft site, the plants form a kind of scar, or callus, that reestablishes the flow of water and nutrients through vascular tissues across the wound and sometimes gives rise to new shoots.

From Quanta Magazine

In attempting to reverse the results of the 1876 election, the Potter Committee unwittingly gave the public a glimpse of the corruption and graft which flowed through American political life.

From Washington Post

Dali Yang, a University of Chicago political scientist, said China’s shift from decentralized drug approvals in the 1990s to centralized reviews in the 2000s created opportunities for graft.

From Washington Post

While graft and weak transparency have long plagued China’s pharmaceutical industry, seldom has the reliability of a single drug vendor from the country mattered this much to the rest of the world.

From Washington Post

The structures develop nerves that connect specialized cells in hair follicles, much like the neural circuit system that allows us to feel touch, and could one day help develop better skin grafts.

From Science News

If the man becomes a grafter or thief, the President is attacked by the opposition.

From Project Gutenberg

An infallible recipe for the cure of ague is said to be the following: Go to a grafter of trees, and tell him your complaint.

From Project Gutenberg

Comstock was an old-style Puritan, and many insist that he was likewise an old-style grafter.

From Project Gutenberg

It is done in this way: a grafter becomes an assemblyman, and with others lays a plan of graft.

From Project Gutenberg

A pretty decent sort of a grafter, Grove is, but he's done with crooked work and has gone to California to lead a different life.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bandit
• burglar
• con artist
• crook
• looter
• marauder
• mugger
• pickpocket
• pirate
• raider
• rustler
• shoplifter
• swindler
• thief
• thug