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 property is adjacent to a 17-acre meadow preserve belonging to the Nature Conservancy.

From MarketWatch

It was a meadow pipit, a protected bird in China, and an important "indicator species" - that means if its numbers are thriving, so is its environment.

From BBC

Through all my youthful explorations of the Kern River Canyon — my Yosemite without crowds — that golden-green meadow with its pools had been only an illusion for me.

From Los Angeles Times

The property features three creeks that “meander through the ranch for over five miles,” as well as irrigated meadows and “historic water rights irrigating 1,200 acres.”

From MarketWatch

In Greenford, west London, Sir David gently cradles a tiny harvest mouse before releasing it into a meadow.

From BBC

Related Words

• grassland
• pasture
• plain
• prairie