ground

pronunciation

How to pronounce ground in British English: UK [ɡraʊnd] word uk audio image

How to pronounce ground in American English: US [ɡraʊnd] word us audio image

Noun:

the solid part of the earth's surface
a rational motive for a belief or action
the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface
a relation that provides the foundation for something
a position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in battle)
the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground
material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)
a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused
a connection between an electrical device and the earth (which is a zero voltage)
(art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting
the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface
Verb:

fix firmly and stably
confine or restrict to the ground
place or put on the ground
instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
bring to the ground
hit or reach the ground
throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage
hit a groundball
hit onto the ground
cover with a primer; apply a primer to
connect to a ground
use as a basis for; found on
Adjective:

broken or pounded into small fragments; used of e.g. ore or stone

Word Origin

ground: ground: [OE] Ground is part of a widespread family of Germanic words, which include also German, Swedish, and Danish grund and Dutch grond. A common meaning element of all these is ‘bottom’, particularly of the sea (preserved in English ‘run aground’), and it seems that their prehistoric Germanic ancestor *grunduz may originally have denoted something like ‘deep place’.

ground (v.): mid-13c., "to put on the ground, to strike down to the ground;" late 14c., "lay the foundation of," also, figuratively, "to base" (an argument, sermon, etc.), from ground (n.). Meaning "instruct thoroughly in the basics" is from late 14c. Of ships, "to run into the ground," from mid-15c. (intransitive), transitive sense from 1650s. Of arms, from 1711. Electrical sense from 1881. Meaning "deny privileges" is 1940s, originally a punishment meted out to pilots (in which sense it is attested from 1930). In the sense "establish firmly" Old English had grundweallian, grundstaðelian; also gryndan "descend," gegryndan "to found."

ground (n.): Old English grund "bottom; foundation; surface of the earth," also "abyss, Hell," and "bottom of the sea" (a sense preserved in run aground), from Proto-Germanic *grundus, which seems to have meant "deep place" (cognates: Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Danish, Swedish grund, Dutch grond, Old High German grunt, German Grund "ground, soil, bottom;" Old Norse grunn "a shallow place," grund "field, plain," grunnr "bottom"). No known cognates outside Germanic. Sense of "reason, motive" first attested c. 1200. Meaning "source, origin, cause" is from c. 1400. Electrical sense "connection with the earth" is from 1870 (in telegraphy). Meaning "place where one takes position" is from 1610s; hence stand (one's) ground (1707). To run to ground in fox-hunting is from 1779. Ground rule (1890) originally was a rule designed for a specific playing field (ground or grounds in this sense attested by 1718); by 1953 it had come to mean "a basic rule."

ground (adj.): "reduced to fine particles by grinding," 1765, past participle adjective from grind (v.).