grassland

[gras-land, grahs-]

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noun

an area, as a prairie, in which the natural vegetation consists largely of perennial grasses, characteristic of subhumid and semiarid climates.

land with grass growing on it, especially farmland used for grazing or pasture.

Origin of grassland

An Americanism dating back to 1675–85; grass + land

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

Related Words for grassland

pasture, prairie, plain, steppe, savanna, field, range, llano, pampas, sward, veldt, campo, swarth

Examples from the Web for grassland

Contemporary Examples of grassland

As F-16s roared from one end of the horizon to the other, they dipped to bomb a grassland strip.
Shocked by Ukraine Violence, NATO Prepares to Face Down Putin
Leo Cendrowicz
October 12, 2014
And in the land of livestock and grassland and corral and endless highway, that is more or less everything.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy
Peter Richmond
May 11, 2014
They raise cattle on the grassland, and sow the other half in wheat and forage for the herd.
The Texas Drought Seen Firsthand from the Eyes of Ranchers
Malcolm Jones
August 9, 2012

Historical Examples of grassland

Tranquil Meadows, a fine area of grassland, is just south of the Bar-O.
David Lannarck, Midget
George S. Harney
Beyond the wood, which stood on a ridge, there was a stretch of grassland.
Learning to Fly
Claude Grahame-White
At the lower edge of the grassland, only the shady slopes are forested (Fig. 53B).
The Andes of Southern Peru
Isaiah Bowman
Locally, as in damp hollows or cleared areas, there is grassland.
Mammals of the San Gabriel Mountains of California
Terry A. Vaughan
But there were the claims of the Happy Family and all the grassland east of there which must be saved.
The Flying U's Last Stand
B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for grassland

grassland

noun

land, such as a prairie, on which grass predominates

land reserved for natural grass pasture

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 grassland

1680s, from grass + land (n.).

grassland in Science

grassland

[grăs′lănd′]

An area that is dominated by grass or grasslike vegetation. Moderately dry climatic conditions and seasonal disturbances, such as floods or fires, are generally conducive to the growth of grasses and prohibitive of that of trees and shrubs. Grasslands are found in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions and typically occupy regions between forests and deserts.