meadow

[med-oh] /ˈmɛd oʊ/

noun

a tract of grassland used for pasture or serving as a hayfield.

a tract of grassland in an upland area near the timberline.

Origin

before 1000; Middle English medwe, Old English mǣdw-, oblique stem of mǣd mead²; akin to German Matte

Related forms

meadowless, adjective

meadowy, adjective

Synonyms

1. green, range, field.

Examples from the web for meadow

In fact, our road is paved with foreign policy blunders through a meadow of forgotten successes.
The western bluebird scoots around in small flocks from one area of the meadow to the other.
The manipulation of a single gene is enough to cure the wandering eye of a meadow vole.
The soft, golden light will make a meadow of wildflowers glow.
Under a pale blue morning sky, a string of horses heads across an untracked meadow dusted with snow.
At its base lie a lovely little pond and a meadow that is sprinkled with wildflowers during the summer.
Stays under the trees where he wants it, not all over the meadow.
It's the juxtaposition of the nearby meadow flowers or turquoise lake that sets off the mountains' grandeur.
My favorite solution is to replace your lawn with a meadow.
He circled the meadow a couple of times with the dogs after him, then went up the highest tree.

British Dictionary definitions for meadow

meadow

/ˈmɛdəʊ/

noun

an area of grassland, often used for hay or for grazing of animals

a low-lying piece of grassland, often boggy and near a river

Derived Forms

meadowy, adjective

Word Origin

Old English mædwe, from mǣdmead²; related to māwan to mow1

Word Origin and History for meadow

Old English mædwe "meadow, pasture," originally "land covered in grass which is mown for hay;" oblique case of mæd (see mead (n.2)).

meadow in the Bible

(1.) Heb. ha'ahu (Gen. 41:2, 18), probably an Egyptain word transferred to the Hebrew; some kind of reed or water-plant. In the Revised Version it is rendered "reed-grass", i.e., the sedge or rank grass by the river side. (2.) Heb. ma'areh (Judg. 20:33), pl., "meadows of Gibeah" (R.V., after the LXX., "Maareh-geba"). Some have adopted the rendering "after Gibeah had been left open." The Vulgate translates the word "from the west."