— farmable , adj.
/fahrm/ , n.
1. a tract of land, usually with a house, barn, silo, etc., on which crops and often livestock are raised for livelihood.
2. land or water devoted to the raising of animals, fish, plants, etc.: a pig farm; an oyster farm; a tree farm.
3. a similar, usually commercial, site where a product is manufactured or cultivated: a cheese farm; a honey farm.
4. the system, method, or act of collecting revenue by leasing a territory in districts.
5. a country or district leased for the collection of revenue.
6. a fixed yearly amount accepted from a person in view of local or district taxes that he or she is authorized to collect.
7. a tract of land on which an industrial function is carried out, as the drilling or storage of oil or the generation of electricity by solar power.
8. Eng. Hist.
a. the rent or income from leased property.
b. the condition of being leased at a fixed rent; possession under lease; a lease.
9. Also called farm team, farm club . Chiefly Baseball. a team in a minor league that is owned by or affiliated with a major-league team, for training or keeping players until ready or needed.
10. Obs. a fixed yearly amount payable in the form of rent, taxes, or the like.
11. buy the farm , Slang. to die or be killed.
v.t.
12. to cultivate (land).
13. to take the proceeds or profits of (a tax, undertaking, etc.) on paying a fixed sum.
14. to let or lease (taxes, revenues, an enterprise, etc.) to another for a fixed sum or a percentage (often fol. by out ).
15. to let or lease the labor or services of (a person) for hire.
16. to contract for the maintenance of (a person, institution, etc.): a county that farms its poor.
v.i.
17. to cultivate the soil; operate a farm.
18. farm out ,
a. to assign (work, privileges, or the like) to another by financial agreement; subcontract; lease: The busy shipyard farmed out two construction jobs to a smaller yard.
b. to assign the care of (a child or dependent person) to another: She farms her elderly aunt out to a retired nurse during the workweek.
c. Chiefly Baseball. to assign (a player) to a farm.
d. to exhaust (farmland) by overcropping.
e. to drill (oil or gas wells), esp. by subcontract on land owned or leased by another.
[ 1250-1300; ME ferme lease, rented land, rent ferma, deriv. of * fermare, for L firmare to make firm, confirm. See FIRM 1 ]