herbage
nounUK /ˈhəːbɪd͡ʒ/ · US /ˈ(h)ɚbɪd͡ʒ/
Etymology From Middle English herbage, from Old French erbage, from Early Medieval Latin herbāticum, from Latin herba (“grass”). By surface analysis, herb + -age.
1
Usually Herbs collectively.
2
Usually Herbaceous plant growth, especially grass.
- I threw myself upon my face, and clung to the scant herbage in an excess of nervous agitation.1841, Edgar Allan Poe, A Descent into the Maelström:
- The dank breath of herbage, sodden with rain, came to her; the mists were barely visible, hovering above the dark ravines.1891, Mary Noailles Murfree, In the "Stranger People's" Country, Nebraska, published 2005, page 97:
3
Usually The fleshy, often edible, parts of plants.
4
Law Usually The natural pasture of a land, considered as distinct from the land itself; hence, right of pasture (on another man's land).
- Derived terms
- herbaged