Sward

//swɔːd// name, noun, verb

name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Earth which grass has grown into the upper layer of; greensward, sod, turf; (countable) a portion of such earth. uncountable

    "His eyes he op'nd, and beheld a field, / Part arable and tilth, whereon were Sheaves / New reapt, the other part ſheep-walks and foulds; / Ith' midſt an Altar as the Land-mark ſtood / Ruſtic, of graſſie ſord; […]"

  2. 2
    A homosexual man. Philippines
  3. 3
    surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots wordnet
  4. 4
    An expanse of land covered in grass; a lawn or meadow. countable

    "It was not far from the house; but the ground sank into a depression there, and the ridge of it behind shut out everything except just the roof of the tallest hayrick. As one sat on the sward behind the elm, with the back turned on the rick and nothing in front but the tall elms and the oaks in the other hedge, it was quite easy to fancy it the verge of the prairie with the backwoods close by."

  5. 5
    The upper layer of the ground, especially when vegetation is growing on it. countable, obsolete

    "The roots of the Apple-tree, Olive, and Cypreſſe, lie very ebbe, and creepe hard under the ſourd of the ground."

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    The rind of bacon or pork; also, the outer covering or skin of something. countable, dialectal
Verb
  1. 1
    To cover (ground, etc.) with sward. transitive
  2. 2
    Of ground, etc.: to be covered with sward; to develop a covering of sward. intransitive

    "[Land...] will not sward again […]"

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.

Synonyms

All synonyms
clearingfieldgrassgreengreenswardlawn

Example

More examples

"Then too the sheep began to bleat, while the lambs frisked on the sward, or stooped under their mothers to suck. And the he-goats contended for their mates, jealously guarding the one they selected from the approaches of any rival."

Etymology

Etymology 1

The noun is derived from Middle English sward (“rind; skin; calloused skin; leather strap; sod, turf”) [and other forms], from Old English sweard, swearð (“rind; skin”), from Proto-Germanic *swarduz (“rind; tough skin; turf”); further etymology unknown. The verb is derived from the noun.

Etymology 2

From a blend of sword + pardner.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.