sward

noun

ˈswȯrd 

1

: a portion of ground covered with grass

2

: the grassy surface of land

swarded

ˈswȯr-dəd 

adjective

Did you know?

Sward sprouted from the Old English sweard or swearth, meaning “skin” or “rind.” It was originally used as a term for the skin of the body before being extended to another surface—that of the Earth. The word’s specific grassy sense dates to the 16th century, and lives on today mostly in novels from centuries past, such as Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles: “The sun was so near the ground, and the sward so flat, that the shadows of Clare and Tess would stretch a quarter of a mile ahead of them, like two long fingers pointing afar to where the green alluvial reaches abutted against the sloping sides of the vale.”

Examples of sward in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The soft Smyrna rug in the hall yields to the tread like a mossy sward, while a circular art glass window fills the hall with a pleasant subdued light. —Merrie Monteagudo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English sweard, swearth skin, rind; akin to Middle High German swart skin, hide

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

sward

noun

ˈswȯ(ə)rd 

: the grassy surface of land : turf