n.
Pronunciation: ' f ē ld
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English feld; akin to Old High German feld field, Old English fl ō r floor ― more at FLOOR
Date: before 12th century
1 a (1) : an open land area free of woods and buildings (2) : an area of land marked by the presence of particular objects or features <dune field s > b (1) : an area of cleared enclosed land used for cultivation or pasture <a field of wheat> (2) : land containing a natural resource (3) : AIRFIELD c : the place where a battle is fought also : BATTLE d : a large unbroken expanse (as of ice)
2 a : an area or division of an activity, subject, or profession b : the sphere of practical operation outside a base (as a laboratory, office, or factory) <geologists working in the field > c : an area for military exercises or maneuvers d (1) : an area constructed, equipped, or marked for sports (2) : the portion of an indoor or outdoor sports area enclosed by the running track and on which field events are conducted (3) : any of the three sections of a baseball outfield <hits to all field s >
3 : a space on which something is drawn or projected: as a : the space on the surface of a coin, medal, or seal that does not contain the design b : the ground of each division in a flag c : the whole surface of an escutcheon
4 : the individuals that make up all or part of the participants in a contest especially : all participants with the exception of the favorite or the winner in a contest where more than two are entered
5 : the area visible through the lens of an optical instrument
6 a : a region or space in which a given effect (as magnetism) exists b : a region of embryonic tissue capable of a particular type of differentiation <a morphogenetic field >
7 : a set of mathematical elements that is subject to two binary operations the second of which is distributive relative to the first and that constitutes a commutative group under the first operation and also under the second if the zero or unit element under the first is omitted
8 : a complex of forces that serve as causative agents in human behavior
9 : a series of drain tiles and an absorption area for septic-tank outflow
10 : a particular area (as of a record in a database) in which the same type of information is regularly recorded
– from the field : in field goals as opposed to free throws <made 40 percent of his shots from the field >