GRAZE

I. verb (~d; grazing) Etymology: Middle English grasen, from Old English grasian, from græs grass Date: before 12th century intransitive verb to feed on growing herbage, attached algae, or phytoplankton, to eat small portions of food throughout the day, transitive verb 1. to crop and eat in the field, to feed on the herbage of, 2. to put to ~ , to put cattle to ~ on, to supply herbage for the grazing of, ~able or grazable adjective ~r noun II. noun Date: 1857 an act of grazing, herbage for grazing, III. verb (~d; grazing) Etymology: perhaps from 1~ Date: 1604 transitive verb to touch lightly in passing, abrade , scratch , intransitive verb to touch or rub against something in passing, IV. noun Date: 1847 a scraping along a surface or an abrasion made by it