graft

[graft, grahft]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR graft ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Horticulture.

a bud, shoot, or scion of a plant inserted in a groove, slit, or the like in a stem or stock of another plant in which it continues to grow.
the plant resulting from such an operation; the united stock and scion.
the place where the scion is inserted.

Surgery. a portion of living tissue surgically transplanted from one part of an individual to another, or from one individual to another, for its adhesion and growth.

an act of grafting.

verb (used with object)

to insert (a graft) into a tree or other plant; insert a scion of (one plant) into another plant.

to cause (a plant) to reproduce through grafting.

Surgery. to transplant (a portion of living tissue, as of skin or bone) as a graft.

to attach as if by grafting: an absurdity grafted onto an otherwise coherent body of thought.

Nautical. to cover (a rope) with a weaving of rope yarn.

verb (used without object)

to insert scions from one plant into another.

to become grafted.

Origin of graft

1350–1400; earlier graff, Middle English graffe, craffe < Old French graife, greffe, graffe < Late Latin graphium hunting knife (Latin: stylus) < Greek grapheion, derivative of gráphein to write; so called from the resemblance of the point of a (cleft) graft to a stylus

Related formsgraft·er, noun

Synonyms for graft

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR graft ON THESAURUS.COM

10. implant, transplant, plant, join, adhere.

graft

[graft, grahft]

noun

the acquisition of money, gain, or advantage by dishonest, unfair, or illegal means, especially through the abuse of one's position or influence in politics, business, etc.

a particular instance, method, or means of thus acquiring gain or advantage.

the gain or advantage acquired.

British Slang. work; labor.

verb (used with object)

to obtain by graft.

verb (used without object)

to practice graft.

Origin of graft

First recorded in 1855–60; perhaps special use of graft¹

Related formsgraft·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for graft

corruption, bribe, implant, affix, propagate, shoot, splice, union, sprout, scion, slip, bud, jointure, hybridization, money, pay, share, thievery, juice, gain

Examples from the Web for graft

Contemporary Examples of graft

The old culture of the Party of Regions—its lack of transparency, the graft and the shady deal making—has returned.
East Ukraine: Back in the USSR
Jamie Dettmer
November 19, 2014
The country was ranked 144 of 177 nations surveyed by Transparency International in its 2013 graft perception index.
Corruption Eats Away at Ukraine Military
Charles McPhedran
October 21, 2014
Ask Americans just a few decades ago (or, indeed, Indians today) and they might say that graft is just how things get done.
The Real Story and Lesson of the Abscam Sting in ‘American Hustle’
Jimmy So
December 17, 2013
Merely acquiring a mobile-phone account remains an exercise in red tape and graft.
Obama Does Delicate Dance on Historic Visit to Burma
Lennox Samuels
November 19, 2012
She supported the creation of watchdogs to look for graft in government, firing those who improperly profited.
A Nobel Smackdown in Liberia: Leymah Gbowee vs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Abigail Pesta
October 10, 2012

Historical Examples of graft

We've built a nation of high finance—and graft—and a rising angry mob.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
In a cold Countrey graft later, and in a warme Countrey earlier.
A New Orchard And Garden
William Lawson
But commonly, graft at that time of the Winter, when sap beginneth to arise.
A New Orchard And Garden
William Lawson
If you will haue it to be excellent, graft it afterward vpon an Almond tree.
A New Orchard And Garden
William Lawson
Graft from the full of the Moone, vntill the end of the old.
A New Orchard And Garden
William Lawson

British Dictionary definitions for graft

graft

noun

horticulture

a piece of plant tissue (the scion), normally a stem, that is made to unite with an established plant (the stock), which supports and nourishes it
the plant resulting from the union of scion and stock
the point of union between the scion and the stock

surgery a piece of tissue or an organ transplanted from a donor or from the patient's own body to an area of the body in need of the tissue

the act of joining one thing to another by or as if by grafting

verb

horticulture

to induce (a plant or part of a plant) to unite with another part or (of a plant or part of a plant) to unite in this way
to produce (fruit, flowers, etc) by this means or (of fruit, flowers, etc) to grow by this means

to transplant (tissue) or (of tissue) to be transplanted

to attach or incorporate or become attached or incorporatedto graft a happy ending onto a sad tale

Derived Formsgrafter, noungrafting, noun

Word Origin for graft

C15: from Old French graffe, from Medieval Latin graphium, from Latin: stylus, from Greek grapheion, from graphein to write

graft

noun

work (esp in the phrase hard graft)

the acquisition of money, power, etc, by dishonest or unfair means, esp by taking advantage of a position of trust
something gained in this way, such as profit from government business
a payment made to a person profiting by such a practice

verb

(intr) to work

to acquire by or practise graft

Derived Formsgrafter, noun

Word Origin for graft

C19: of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for graft

n.1

"shoot inserted into another plant," late 15c. alteration of Middle English graff (late 14c.), from Old French graife "grafting knife, carving tool, stylus," from Latin graphium "stylus," from Greek grapheion "stylus," from graphein "to write" (see -graphy). So called probably on resemblance of a stylus to the pencil-shaped shoots used in grafting. The terminal -t- in the English word is not explained. Surgical sense is from 1871.

n.2

"corruption," 1865, perhaps 1859, American English, perhaps from graft (1) via British slang sense of "one's occupation" (1853), which seems to be from the word's original sense of "digging" (see graft (n.1)).

late 15c., from graft (n.1). Related: Grafted; grafting.

graft in Medicine

graft

[grăft]

v.

To transplant or implant tissue surgically into a body part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect.

n.

Material, especially living tissue or an organ, surgically attached to or inserted into a body part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect.

The procedure of implanting or transplanting such material.

The configuration or condition resulting from such a procedure.

graft in Science

graft

[grăft]

Noun

A shoot or bud of one plant that is inserted into or joined to the stem, branch, or root of another plant so that the two grow together as a single plant. Grafts are used to strengthen or repair plants, create dwarf trees, produce seedless fruit, and increase fruit yields without requiring plants to mature from seeds.

A piece of body tissue that is surgically removed and then transplanted or implanted to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect. See also allograft autograft and xenograft.

Verb

To join a graft to another plant.

To transplant or implant a graft.

graft in Culture

graft

In politics, the illegal acceptance of bribes by government officials.