graze 1
— grazeable , adj. — grazer , n.
/grayz/ , v. , grazed, grazing .
v.i.
1. to feed on growing grass and pasturage, as do cattle, sheep, etc.
2. Informal. to eat small portions of food, as appetizers or the like, in place of a full-sized meal or to snack during the course of the day in place of regular meals.
v.t.
3. to feed on (growing grass).
4. to put cattle, sheep, etc., to feed on (grass, pastureland, etc.).
5. to tend (cattle, sheep, etc.) while they are at pasture.
[ bef. 1000; ME grasen, OE grasian, deriv. of graes GRASS ]
graze 2
— grazer , n. — grazingly , adv.
/grayz/ , v. , grazed, grazing , n.
v.t.
1. to touch or rub lightly in passing.
2. to scrape the skin from; abrade: The bullet just grazed his shoulder.
v.i.
3. to touch or rub something lightly, or so as to produce slight abrasion, in passing: to graze against a rough wall.
n.
4. a grazing; a touching or rubbing lightly in passing.
5. a slight scratch, scrape, or wound made in passing; abrasion.
[ 1595-1605; perh. special use of GRAZE 1 ; for the semantic shift cf. F effleurer, deriv. of fleur flower, in the same meaning ]