What is "ground"

ground \ground\, imp. & p. p. of Grind. [1913 Webster] ground cock, a cock, the plug of which is ground into its seat, as distinguished from a compression cock.
--Knight. Ground glass, glass the transparency of which has been destroyed by having its surface roughened by grinding. -- Ground joint, a close joint made by grinding together two pieces, as of metal with emery and oil, or of glass with fine sand and water.

ground \ground\, v. i. To run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed; as, the ship grounded on the bar.

ground \ground\ (ground), v. t. [imp. & p. p. grounded; p. pr. & vb. n. grounding.]

1. To lay, set, or run, on the ground.

2. To found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, reason, or principle; to furnish a ground for; to fix firmly.

   Being rooted and grounded in love.
   --Eph. iii. 17.

   So far from warranting any inference to the existence of a God, would, on the contrary, ground even an argument to his negation.
   --Sir W. Hamilton

3. To instruct in elements or first principles.

4. (Elec.) To connect with the ground so as to make the earth a part of an electrical circuit.

5. (Fine Arts) To cover with a ground, as a copper plate for etching (see Ground, n., 5); or as paper or other materials with a uniform tint as a preparation for ornament.

6. To forbid (a pilot) to fly an airplane; -- usually as a disciplinary measure, or for reasons of ill health sufficient to interfere with performance.

7. To forbid (aircraft) to fly; -- usually due to the unsafe condition of the aircraft or lack of conformity to safety regulations; as, the discovery of a crack in the wing of a Trijet caused the whole fleeet to be grounded for inspection.

8. To temporarily restrict the activities of (a child), especially social activity outside the house; -- usually for bad or unsatisfactory conduct; as, Johnny was grounded for fighting at school and can't go to the movies for two weeks.

ground \ground\ (ground), n. [OE. ground, grund, AS. grund; akin to D. grond, OS., G., Sw., & Dan. grund, Icel. grunnr bottom, Goth. grundus (in composition); perh. orig. meaning, dust, gravel, and if so perh. akin to E. grind.]

1. The surface of the earth; the outer crust of the globe, or some indefinite portion of it.

   There was not a man to till the ground.
   --Gen. ii. 5.

   The fire ran along upon the ground.
   --Ex. ix. 23. Hence: A floor or pavement supposed to rest upon the earth.

2. Any definite portion of the earth's surface; region; territory; country. Hence: A territory appropriated to, or resorted to, for a particular purpose; the field or place of action; as, a hunting or fishing ground; a play ground.

   From . . . old Euphrates, to the brook that parts Egypt from Syrian ground.
   --Milton.

3. Land; estate; possession; field; esp. (pl.), the gardens, lawns, fields, etc., belonging to a homestead; as, the grounds of the estate are well kept.

   Thy next design is on thy neighbor's grounds.
   --Dryden.

4. 4. The basis on which anything rests; foundation. Hence: The foundation of knowledge, belief, or conviction; a premise, reason, or datum; ultimate or first principle; cause of existence or occurrence; originating force or agency; as, the ground of my hope.

5. (Paint. & Decorative Art)

   1. That surface upon which the figures of a composition are set, and which relieves them by its plainness, being either of one tint or of tints but slightly contrasted with one another; as, crimson Bowers on a white ground. See Background, Foreground, and Middle-ground.

   2. In sculpture, a flat surface upon which figures are raised in relief.

   3. In point lace, the net of small meshes upon which the embroidered pattern is applied; as, Brussels ground. See Brussels lace, under Brussels.

6. (Etching) A gummy composition spread over the surface of a metal to be etched, to prevent the acid from eating except where an opening is made by the needle.

7. (Arch.) One of the pieces of wood, flush with the plastering, to which moldings, etc., are attached; -- usually in the plural.

   Note: Grounds are usually put up first and the plastering floated flush with them.

8. (Mus.)

   1. A composition in which the bass, consisting of a few bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to a varying melody.

   2. The tune on which descants are raised; the plain song.
      --Moore (Encyc.).

      On that ground I'll build a holy descant.
      --Shak.

9. (Elec.) A conducting connection with the earth, whereby the earth is made part of an electrical circuit.

10. pl. Sediment at the bottom of liquors or liquids; dregs; lees; feces; as, coffee grounds.

11. The pit of a theater. [Obs.] --B. Jonson. Ground angling, angling with a weighted line without a float. Ground annual (Scots Law), an estate created in land by a vassal who instead of selling his land outright reserves an annual ground rent, which becomes a perpetual charge upon the land. Ground ash. (Bot.) See Groutweed. Ground bailiff (Mining), a superintendent of mines. --Simmonds. Ground bait, bits of bread, boiled barley or worms, etc., thrown into the water to collect the fish, --Wallon. Ground bass or Ground base (Mus.), fundamental base; a fundamental base continually repeated to a varied melody. Ground beetle (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of carnivorous beetles of the family Carabid[ae], living mostly in burrows or under stones, etc. Ground chamber, a room on the ground floor. Ground cherry. (Bot.)

    1. A genus ( Physalis) of herbaceous plants having an inflated calyx for a seed pod: esp., the strawberry tomato ( Physalis Alkekengi). See Alkekengl.

    2. A European shrub ( Prunus Cham[ae]cerasus), with small, very acid fruit. Ground cuckoo. (Zo["o]l.) See Chaparral cock. Ground cypress. (Bot.) See Lavender cotton. Ground dove (Zo["o]l.), one of several small American pigeons of the genus Columbigallina, esp. C. passerina of the Southern United States, Mexico, etc. They live chiefly on the ground. Ground fish (Zo["o]l.), any fish which constantly lives on the botton of the sea, as the sole, turbot, halibut. Ground floor, the floor of a house most nearly on a level with the ground; -- called also in America, but not in England, the first floor. Ground form (Gram.), the stem or basis of a word, to which the other parts are added in declension or conjugation. It is sometimes, but not always, the same as the root. Ground furze (Bot.), a low slightly thorny, leguminous shrub ( Ononis arvensis) of Europe and Central Asia,; -- called also rest-harrow. Ground game, hares, rabbits, etc., as distinguished from winged game. Ground hele (Bot.), a perennial herb ( Veronica officinalis) with small blue flowers, common in Europe and America, formerly thought to have curative properties. Ground of the heavens (Astron.), the surface of any part of the celestial sphere upon which the stars may be regarded as projected. Ground hemlock (Bot.), the yew ( Taxus baccata var. Canadensisi) of eastern North America, distinguished from that of Europe by its low, straggling stems. Ground hog. (Zo["o]l.)

       1. The woodchuck or American marmot ( Arctomys monax). See Woodchuck.

       2. The aardvark. Ground hold (Naut.), ground tackle. [Obs.] --Spenser. Ground ice, ice formed at the bottom of a body of water before it forms on the surface. Ground ivy. (Bot.) A trailing plant; alehoof. See Gill. Ground joist, a joist for a basement or ground floor; a. sleeper. Ground lark (Zo["o]l.), the European pipit. See Pipit. Ground laurel (Bot.). See Trailing arbutus, under Arbutus. Ground line (Descriptive Geom.), the line of intersection of the horizontal and vertical planes of projection. Ground liverwort (Bot.), a flowerless plant with a broad flat forking thallus and the fruit raised on peduncled and radiated receptacles ( Marchantia polymorpha). Ground mail, in Scotland, the fee paid for interment in a churchyard. Ground mass (Geol.), the fine-grained or glassy base of a rock, in which distinct crystals of its constituents are embedded. Ground parrakeet (Zo["o]l.), one of several Australian parrakeets, of the genera Callipsittacus and Geopsittacus, which live mainly upon the ground. Ground pearl (Zo["o]l.), an insect of the family Coccid[ae] ( Margarodes formicarum), found in ants' nests in the Bahamas, and having a shelly covering. They are strung like beads, and made into necklaces by the natives. Ground pig (Zo["o]l.), a large, burrowing, African rodent ( Aulacodus Swinderianus) about two feet long, allied to the porcupines but with harsh, bristly hair, and no spines; -- called also ground rat. Ground pigeon (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of pigeons which live largely upon the ground, as the tooth-billed pigeon ( Didunculus strigirostris), of the Samoan Islands, and the crowned pigeon, or goura. See Goura, and Ground dove (above). Ground pine. (Bot.)

          1. A blue-flowered herb of the genus Ajuga ( A. Cham[ae]pitys), formerly included in the genus Teucrium or germander, and named from its resinous smell.
             --Sir J. Hill.

          2. A long, creeping, evergreen plant of the genus Lycopodium ( L. clavatum); -- called also club moss.

    3. A tree-shaped evergreen plant about eight inches in height, of the same genus ( L. dendroideum) found in moist, dark woods in the northern part of the United States. --Gray. Ground plan (Arch.), a plan of the ground floor of any building, or of any floor, as distinguished from an elevation or perpendicular section. Ground plane, the horizontal plane of projection in perspective drawing. Ground plate.

       1. (Arch.) One of the chief pieces of framing of a building; a timber laid horizontally on or near the ground to support the uprights; a ground sill or groundsel.

       2. (Railroads) A bed plate for sleepers or ties; a mudsill.

       3. (Teleg.) A metallic plate buried in the earth to conduct the electric current thereto. Connection to the pipes of a gas or water main is usual in cities. --Knight. Ground plot, the ground upon which any structure is erected; hence, any basis or foundation; also, a ground plan. Ground plum (Bot.), a leguminous plant ( Astragalus caryocarpus) occurring from the Saskatchewan to Texas, and having a succulent plum-shaped pod. Ground rat. (Zo["o]l.) See Ground pig (above). Ground rent, rent paid for the privilege of building on another man's land. Ground robin. (Zo["o]l.) See Chewink. Ground room, a room on the ground floor; a lower room. --Tatler. Ground sea, the West Indian name for a swell of the ocean, which occurs in calm weather and without obvious cause, breaking on the shore in heavy roaring billows; -- called also rollers, and in Jamaica, the North sea. Ground sill. See Ground plate

          1. (above).

             Ground snake (Zo["o]l.), a small burrowing American snake ( Celuta am[oe]na). It is salmon colored, and has a blunt tail.

             Ground squirrel. (Zo["o]l.) (a) One of numerous species of burrowing rodents of the genera Tamias and Spermophilus, having cheek pouches. The former genus includes the Eastern striped squirrel or chipmunk and some allied Western species; the latter includes the prairie squirrel or striped gopher, the gray gopher, and many allied Western species. See Chipmunk, and Gopher.

          2. Any species of the African genus Xerus, allied to Tamias. Ground story. Same as Ground floor (above). Ground substance (Anat.), the intercellular substance, or matrix, of tissues. Ground swell.

             1. (Bot.) The plant groundsel. [Obs.]
                --Holland.

             2. A broad, deep swell or undulation of the ocean, caused by a long continued gale, and felt even at a remote distance after the gale has ceased. Ground table. (Arch.) See Earth table, under Earth. Ground tackle (Naut.), the tackle necessary to secure a vessel at anchor. --Totten. Ground thrush (Zo["o]l.), one of numerous species of bright-colored Oriental birds of the family Pittid[ae]. See Pitta. Ground tier.

                1. The lowest tier of water casks in a vessel's hold.
                   --Totten.

                2. The lowest line of articles of any kind stowed in a vessel's hold.

          3. The lowest range of boxes in a theater. Ground timbers (Shipbuilding) the timbers which lie on the keel and are bolted to the keelson; floor timbers. --Knight. Ground tit. (Zo["o]l.) See Ground wren (below). Ground wheel, that wheel of a harvester, mowing machine, etc., which, rolling on the ground, drives the mechanism. Ground wren (Zo["o]l.), a small California bird ( Cham[ae]a fasciata) allied to the wrens and titmice. It inhabits the arid plains. Called also ground tit, and wren tit. To bite the ground, To break ground. See under Bite, Break. To come to the ground, To fall to the ground, to come to nothing; to fail; to miscarry. To gain ground.

             1. To advance; to proceed forward in conflict; as, an army in battle gains ground.

             2. To obtain an advantage; to have some success; as, the army gains ground on the enemy.

             3. To gain credit; to become more prosperous or influential.

                To get ground, or To gather ground, to gain ground. [R.] ``Evening mist . . . gathers ground fast.''
                --Milton.

                There is no way for duty to prevail, and get ground of them, but by bidding higher.
                --South. To give ground, to recede; to yield advantage.

                These nine . . . began to give me ground.
                --Shak. To lose ground, to retire; to retreat; to withdraw from the position taken; hence, to lose advantage; to lose credit or reputation; to decline. -- To stand one's ground, to stand firm; to resist attack or encroachment.
                --Atterbury. To take the ground to touch bottom or become stranded; -- said of a ship.

mid-13c., "to put on the ground, to strike down to the ground," from ground (n.). Of ships, "to run into the ground," from mid-15c. Meaning "to base" (an argument, sermon, etc.) is late 14c. Meaning "deny privileges" is 1940s, originally a punishment meted out to pilots (in which sense it is attested from 1930). Related: Grounded; grounding.

Old English grund "bottom, foundation, ground, surface of the earth," especially "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; electrical sense is from 1870.

"reduced to fine particles by grinding," 1765, past participle adjective from grind.

Etymology 1 alt. (senseid en surface of the Earth)(context uncountable English) The surface of the Earth, as opposed to the sky or water or underground. n. (senseid en surface of the Earth)(context uncountable English) The surface of the Earth, as opposed to the sky or water or underground. vb. 1 To connect (an electrical conductor or device) to a ground. 2 (context transitive English) To punish, especially a child or teenager, by forcing him/her to stay at home and/or give up certain privileges. 3 (context transitive English) To forbid (an aircraft or pilot) to fly. 4 To give a basic education in a particular subject; to instruct in elements or first principles. 5 (context baseball English) to hit a ground ball; to hit a ground ball which results in an out. Compare fly (verb(regular)) and line (verb). 6 (context cricket English) (of a batsman) to place his bat, or part of his body, on the ground behind the popping crease so as not to be run out 7 (context intransitive English) To run aground; to strike the bottom and remain fixed. 8 To found; to fix or set, as on a foundation, reason, or principle; to furnish a ground for; to fix firmly. 9 (context fine arts English) To cover with a ground, as a copper plate for etching, or as paper or other materials with a uniform tint as a preparation for ornament. Etymology 2

1. 1 Crushed, or reduced to small particles. 2 Processed by grinding. v

2. (en-past of: grind)

See grind

1. n. an insignificant student who is ridiculed as being affected or studying excessively [syn: swot, nerd, wonk, dweeb]

2. hard monotonous routine work [syn: drudgery, plodding, donkeywork]

3. the act of grinding to a powder or dust [syn: mill, pulverization, pulverisation]

4. [also: ground]

adj. broken or pounded into small fragments; used of e.g. ore or stone; "paved with crushed bluestone"; "ground glass is used as an abrasive" [syn: crushed]

1. v. press or grind with a crunching noise [syn: crunch, cranch, craunch]

2. make a grating or grinding sound by rubbing together; "grate one's teeth in anger" [syn: grate]

3. reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading; "grind the spices in a mortar"; "mash the garlic" [syn: mash, crunch, bray, comminute]

4. work hard; "She was digging away at her math homework"; "Lexicographers drudge all day long" [syn: labor, labour, toil, fag, travail, drudge, dig, moil]

5. dance by rotating the pelvis in an erotically suggestive way, often while in contact with one's partner such that the dancers' legs are interlaced

6. [also: ground]

1. n. the solid part of the earth's surface; "the plane turned away from the sea and moved back over land"; "the earth shook for several minutes"; "he dropped the logs on the ground" [syn: land, dry land, earth, solid ground, terra firma]

2. a rational motive for a belief or action; "the reason that war was declared"; "the grounds for their declaration" [syn: reason]

3. the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface; "they dug into the earth outside the church" [syn: earth]

4. a relation that provides the foundation for something; "they were on a friendly footing"; "he worked on an interim basis" [syn: footing, basis]

5. a position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in battle); "they gained ground step by step"; "they fought to regain the lost ground"

6. the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground; "he posed her against a background of rolling hills" [syn: background]

7. material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use); "the land had never been plowed"; "good agricultural soil" [syn: land, soil]

8. a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused [ant: figure]

9. a connection between an electrical device and the earth (which is a zero voltage) [syn: earth]

10. (art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting

11. the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface [syn: flat coat, primer, priming, primer coat, priming coat, undercoat]

1. v. fix firmly and stably; "anchor the lamppost in concrete" [syn: anchor]

2. confine or restrict to the ground; "After the accident, they grounded the plane and the pilot"

3. place or put on the ground

4. instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject

5. bring to the ground; "the storm grounded the ship" [syn: run aground]

6. hit or reach the ground [syn: run aground]

7. throw to the ground in order to stop play and avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage

8. hit a groundball; "he grounded to the second baseman"

9. hit onto the ground

10. cover with a primer; apply a primer to [syn: prime, undercoat]

11. connect to a ground; "ground the electrical connections for safety reasons"

12. use as a basis for; found on; "base a claim on some observation" [syn: establish, base, found]

A ground is a unit of area used in India approximately equal to 203 square metres (2,185 ft²). After metrication in the mid-20th century, the unit is being phased out. However, it is still popular in Real Estate parlance.

One ground is commonly taken as 2400 square feet and approximately one half ground is used as a small and standard lot to construct a small individual house in small towns in India. In olden times houses used to adjoin and have common walls. In modern constructions one sees this in the construction of condominiums or so-called flats only. It is still in vogue in villages for economic reasons.

Ground is the second album by the Nels Cline Trio. Initially it was to be a 7", but reviewing the demos Krown Pocket director Brian Rosser suggested an album.

In Dzogchen ground (; IAST: āśraya or sthāna) is the primordial state. It is an essential component of the Dzogchen tradition for both the Bonpo and the Nyingmapa. Knowledge of this Ground is called rigpa.

In electrical engineering, ground or earth is the reference point in an electrical circuit from which voltages are measured, a common return path for electric current, or a direct physical connection to the Earth.

In electrical power distribution systems, a protective ground conductor is an essential part of the safety Earthing system.

Electrical circuits may be connected to ground (earth) for several reasons. In mains powered equipment, exposed metal parts are connected to ground to prevent user contact with dangerous voltage when electrical insulation fails. Connection to ground also limits the build-up of static electricity when handling flammable products or electrostatic-sensitive devices. In some telegraph and power transmission circuits, the earth itself can be used as one conductor of the circuit, saving the cost of installing a separate return conductor (see single-wire earth return).

For measurement purposes, the Earth serves as a (reasonably) constant potential reference against which other potentials can be measured. An electrical ground system should have an appropriate current-carrying capability to serve as an adequate zero-voltage reference level. In electronic circuit theory, a "ground" is usually idealized as an infinite source or sink for charge, which can absorb an unlimited amount of current without changing its potential. Where a real ground connection has a significant resistance, the approximation of zero potential is no longer valid. Stray voltages or earth potential rise effects will occur, which may create noise in signals or if large enough will produce an electric shock hazard.

The use of the term ground (or earth) is so common in electrical and electronics applications that circuits in portable electronic devices such as cell phones and media players as well as circuits in vehicles may be spoken of as having a "ground" connection without any actual connection to the Earth, despite "common" being a more appropriate term for such a connection. This is usually a large conductor attached to one side of the power supply (such as the " ground plane" on a printed circuit board) which serves as the common return path for current from many different components in the circuit.

Ground may refer to:

• The Earth's surface
• Soil, a mixture of clay, sand and organic matter present on the surface of the Earth and serving as substrate for plant growth and micro-organisms development
• Ground, in electrical engineering, something that is connected to the Earth or at the voltage defined as zero (in the U.S., called ground; in the UK, called earth):
  • Ground (electricity)
  • Earthing system
  • Ground and neutral
• Ground (often grounds), in law, a rational motive or basis for a belief, conviction, or action taken, such as a legal action or argument:
  • Grounds for divorce
• Common ground, in communication, people sharing some common understanding
• Coffee grounds, ground coffee beans
• Socially grounded argument—in philosophy, arguments that take social conditions as their starting point
• Ground bass, in music, a bass part that continually repeats, while the melody and harmony over it change
• Ground tissue, one of the three types of tissue systems in a plant
• Ground term, in symbolic logic, a term with no variables
• Ground surface, often on metals, created by various grinding operations
• Football stadium
• Ground (unit), a unit of area used in India
• The Ground, a 2005 album by Norwegian jazz pianist Tord Gustavsen