croft

¹ American  

[krawft, kroft] / krɔft, krɒft /

noun

British.

1. a small farm, especially one worked by a tenant.

2. a small plot of ground adjacent to a house and used as a kitchen garden, to pasture one or two cows, etc.; a garden large enough to feed a family or have commercial value.

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croft ² American  

[krawft, kroft] / krɔft, krɒft /

noun

1. a small, portable filing cabinet of table height, having drop leaves for use as a table.

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croft British  

/ krɒft /

noun

1. a small enclosed plot of land, adjoining a house, worked by the occupier and his family, esp in Scotland

2. dialect a patch of wasteland, formerly one used for bleaching fabric in the sun

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Etymology

Origin of croft¹

before 1000; Middle English, Old English: small field

Origin of croft²

Named after the Reverend Sir Herbert Croft (1757–1816), lexicologist, its inventor

Example Sentences

A croft is small holding and crofters share pasture land called common grazing for raising livestock.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

As well as concerns around the disease, there have been complaints about grazing on croft land and the damage the deer do to woodland, gardens and other property.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2023

For an intimate winter nook, consider a croft room, where you can sleep in a cabin bed enclosed with panels and curtains.

From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2023

A Scottish Land Court judge approved a change of use of an area of croft land for the building of the facility.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2021

They kept a steady plodding pace, past a shepherd's croft and the abandoned workings of a mine.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin