meadow

[med-oh]

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.

meadow

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• meadowless adjective
• meadowy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of meadow¹

before 1000; Middle English medwe, Old English mǣdw-, oblique stem of mǣd mead ²; akin to German Matte

Word History and Origins

Origin of meadow¹

Old English mædwe, from mǣd _mead ²; related to māwan to _mow ¹

Example Sentences

He visited every bookshop that carried melancholy German poetry in translation, and every art gallery that showed sentimental watercolors of mountain lakes and alpine meadows.

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Sheep-dotted meadows were hardly a novelty to three English children who lived on a country estate, but seeing the landscape flick by through the windows of a fast-moving train certainly was, and they were captivated.

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But instead of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, the illustrations showed crystal-blue alpine lakes and edelweiss-covered meadows populated with snow larks, mountain hares, and other wildlife of that Swiss ilk.

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As the title promised, the volume was lavishly illustrated with thumbnail-sized watercolor paintings, most of which depicted wildflower meadows and snowcapped mountain peaks.

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The road cuts through a thick oak forest and opens briefly near a meadow where sturdy and patient Basque horses graze and pose for photos with passers-by, mostly Camino pilgrims.

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Related Words

• grassland 
• pasture 
• plain 
• prairie