turf

pronunciation

How to pronounce turf in British English: UK [tɜ:f] word uk audio image

How to pronounce turf in American English: US [tɜrf] word us audio image

Noun:

surface layer of ground containing a matt of grass and grass roots
the territory claimed by a juvenile gang as its own
range of jurisdiction or influence
Verb:

cover (the ground) with a surface layer of grass or grass roots

Word Origin

turf: turf: [OE] Turf is a general Germanic word. It goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *turb-, which also produced German torf ‘peat’, Dutch turf, Swedish torf, and Danish tørv, and was borrowed into the Romance languages, giving French tourbe, Italian torba, and Spanish turba. Its ultimate source was the Indo-European base *drbh-.

turf (n.): Old English turf, tyrf "slab of soil and grass, sod," also "surface of grassland," from Proto-Germanic *turb- (cognates: Old Norse torf, Danish tørv, Old Frisian turf, Old High German zurba, German Torf), from PIE root *drebh- "to wind, compress" (cognates: Sanskrit darbhah "tuft of grass"). Especially "the race course," hence the turf "the profession of racing horses" (1755). French tourbe "turf" is a Germanic loan-word. The Old English plural was identical with the singular, but in Middle English turves sometimes was used. Slang meaning "territory claimed by a gang" is attested from 1953 in Brooklyn, N.Y.; earlier it had a jive talk sense of "the street, the sidewalk" (1930s), which is attested in hobo use from 1899, and before that "the work and venue of a prostitute" (1860). Turf war is recorded from 1962.

turf (v.): early 15c., "to cover (ground) with turf," from turf (n.). Related: Turfed; turfing.

4. Shintaro ishihara , the admittedly mouth-frothing tokyo governor , compared china to a crime outfit expanding its turf .

5. China 's growing ranks of regulators are encroaching increasingly on each other 's turf .