swidden

American  

[swid-n] / ˈswɪd n /

noun

1. a plot of land cleared for farming by burning away vegetation.

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swidden British  

/ ˈswɪdən /

noun

1. 1. an area of land where slash-and-burn techniques have been used to prepare it for cultivation

   2. ( as modifier )

      small-scale swidden agriculture

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Etymology

Origin of swidden

1951; special use of dial. (N England) swidden area of moor from which vegetation has been burned off, noun use of swidden, swithen to singe < Old Norse svithna to be singed, derivative of svītha to singe (compare dial. swithe, Middle English swithen )

Example Sentences

According to Chaiprasert Phokha, to have food security, Hin Lad Nai villagers must grow 1.2 tons of rice per person annually in their swidden fields and paddies.

From National Geographic • Mar. 8, 2016

The Haunóo, a tribe of swidden farmers on Mindoro, an island in the Philippines, have forty expressions for types of soil.

From The New Yorker • Mar. 23, 2015

One oft-repeated message: "The land is burning," a reference to the swidden fires up-country but also a clear warning to the urban élite.

From Time • Mar. 27, 2010

More important, the very existence of so much healthy forest after twelve thousand years of use by large populations suggests that whatever Indians did before swidden must have been ecologically more sustainable.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Although swidden does permit the forest to regrow, it is wildly inefficient and environmentally unsound.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann