The Collaborative International Dictionary
Turf \Turf\ (t[^u]rf), n.; pl. Turfs, Obs. Turves. [AS. turf; akin to D. turf peat, G. torf, OHG. zurba turf, Sw. & Icel. torf turf, peat, Dan. t["o]rv, Skr. darbha a kind of grass, a tuft of grass. [root]242.]
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That upper stratum of earth and vegetable mold which is filled with the roots of grass and other small plants, so as to adhere and form a kind of mat; sward; sod.
At his head a grass-green turf.
--Shak.The Greek historian sets her in the field on a high heap of turves.
--Milton. Peat, especially when prepared for fuel. See Peat.
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Race course; horse racing; -- preceded by the. ``We . . . claim the honors of the turf.''
--Cowper.Note: Turf is often used adjectively, or to form compounds which are generally self-explaining; as, turf ashes, turf cutter or turf-cutter, turf pit or turf-pit, turf-built, turf-clad, turf-covered, etc.
Turf ant (Zo["o]l.), a small European ant ( Formica flava) which makes small ant-hills on heaths and commons.
Turf drain, a drain made with turf or peat.
Turf hedge, a hedge or fence formed with turf and plants of different kinds.
Turf house, a house or shed formed of turf, common in the northern parts of Europe.
Turf moss a tract of turfy, mossy, or boggy land.
Turf spade, a spade for cutting and digging turf, longer and narrower than the common spade.
Turves \Turves\, obs. pl. of Turf.
Wiktionary
n. (turf English)
WordNet
n. surface layer of ground containing a matt of grass and grass roots [syn: sod, sward, greensward]
the territory claimed by a juvenile gang as its own
range of jurisdiction or influence; "a bureaucracy...chiefly concerned with turf...and protecting the retirement system"
[also: turves (pl)]
v. cover (the ground) with a surface layer of grass or grass roots
[also: turves (pl)]
See turf
Usage examples of "turves".
The scorched turves that had covered it in operation were scattered round it, and the general impression was that of an enormous, smoking grave from which something large, hot, and doubtless demonic had just arisen.
Brianna was kneeling, reaching across with her shovel to remove another layer of turves from the willow-work frame that arched across the top of the pit.
As it was, he advanced carefully toward the edge, where Brianna was kneeling, reaching across with her shovel to remove another layer of turves from the willow-work frame that arched across the top of the pit.
On the sheltered side of the most prominent of these stands a hut of turves with a brick chimney.
Earth was shovelled into the holes, the grass turves carefully replaced so that to a casual eye there were no visible signs of the burials.
The willow bushes all around the yard bent level with the snow, turves flew off the roof, and one of the barns fell, crushing the animals inside it.
I lifted off the top few turves and knew at once why the dog had become so eager, for the pungent smell of oak smoke met my nostrils the moment I looked into the round hole I had made in the top of the hive.
Then I restacked the turves and carried the remaining portion of the fish back to Tegid.
We snapped all the smaller twigs off the felled apple tree and added them gradually to the blaze, then made the beginnings of a human-sized shelter by wedging the dead tree as a roof and rear wall between two live trees, bringing more hawthorn to weave through the branches, heaping onto the top and rear surface any boughs, dead plants and turves we could cut and thickly laying a floor below of grass stalks, the nearest thing to straw.
Those who step on one of those eldritch turves lose their way, even if they have traveled that very path a hundred times before.
He gestured importantly toward a nearby tree, where one of the turves had been thrown with such force as to wrap itself around the trunk like some shaggy yellow fungus.
And a very squalid hamlet it was in comparison to Melthorpe, looking to me like an extended version of Silver-street, made up of mean one-story houses built of furze-branches, mud and mortar, and in many cases with turves for rooves.
He pounded over the turves and rubbish of the works, until a pair of figures up at the top caught his attention, and he stopped dead.
The room smelled of peat from the small fire of turves glowing red on the hearthstone in the centre of the room.
I first came here, to carry the turves, guard those embers, and keep that fire going through the chill winter days.