graze

Meanings

1. The act of grazing; a scratching or injuring lightly on passing.
2. A light abrasion; a slight scratch.
3. The act of animals feeding from pasture.

1. To feed or supply (cattle, sheep, etc.) with grass; to furnish pasture for.
2. To feed on; to eat (growing herbage); to eat grass from (a pasture)
3. To tend (cattle, etc.) while grazing.
4. To eat small amounts of food periodically throughout the day, rather than at fixed mealtimes, often not in response to hunger.
5. To shoplift by consuming food or drink items before reaching the checkout.
6. To rub or touch lightly the surface of (a thing) in passing.
7. To cause a slight wound to; to scratch.
8. To yield grass for grazing.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *grasą Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *grasōną Proto-West Germanic *grasōn Old English grasian Middle English grasen English graze Inherited from Middle English grasen (“to feed with grass”), from Old English grasian, from Proto-West Germanic *grasōn, from Proto-Germanic *grasōną, from *grasą (“grass”) + *-ōną (verbal suffix). Doublet of grass.