n.
Pronunciation: ' t ə rf
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural turfs \ ' t ə rfs \ also turves \ ' t ə rvz \
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German zurba turf, Sanskrit darbha tuft of grass
Date: before 12th century
1 a : the upper stratum of soil bound by grass and plant roots into a thick mat also : a piece of this b : an artificial substitute for this (as on a playing field) c : GRASS 3
2 a : PEAT 2 b : a piece of peat dried for fuel
3 a : a track or course for horse racing b : the sport or business of horse racing
4 a : territory considered by a teenage gang to be under its control b : TERRITORY 2 <have to play two of the last three games on hostile turf ― Joe Klein> <in chapter two, the author is on unfamiliar turf > also : a sphere of activity or influence <people who could hurt him on his own foreign-policy turf ― Wall Street Jour. >
– turfy \ ' t ə r-f ē \ adjective