turf

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the surface layer of earth held together by grass and roots

   The explosion tore up chunks of turf around the hole.

2. 2
   noun

   an area or field that someone regards as their own territory or sphere of influence

   The manager saw the new proposal as an invasion of his turf.

3. 3
   verb

   to cover ground with turf

   They turfed the new lawn in early spring.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Turf is an Old English word whose deeper root is also represented by Sanskrit darbha, “tuft of grass.” Because racecourses have grass surfaces, the turf came to mean horseracing in the mid-18th century. From the 1950s it also developed the sense of a gang’s or criminal’s territory.

From Old English turf, "sod, soil, piece of grass-covered earth," from a Germanic root also seen in Dutch turf and German Torf. The territorial slang sense grows from land as ground one controls.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary