grassveld, noun

/ˈɡrɑːsfelt//ˈɡrɑːsfɛlt/
Forms:
Formerly also grassveldt.
Origin:
AfrikaansShow more Partial translation of Afrikaans grasveld grassland, prairie.
Uncultivated land on which the dominant vegetation type is indigenous grass. Also attributive. See also veld sense 3 c.
[1844 J. Backhouse Narr. of Visit 105It is situated in the part of the colony, called the Gras Veld, Grass Field, which is hilly and verdant, and lies between the Langebergen, Long Mountains, and the coast.]
1882 O.E.A. Schreiner Diamond Fields. 81Think of some places in the old Colony, not up-country, in the Karroo and grass ‘veldt’, but down in the bush world.
1897 H. Raymond B.I. Barnato 95Even the farmers of the open grass veld, the barren karoo, and the richly fertile kloofs, began to feel some excitement.
1910 A.B. Lamont Rural Reader 252Grass veld corresponds more or less to pasture.
1931 F.C. Slater Secret Veld 10As for grass-veld, we have the undulating hills of the Eastern Province..; the low, billowy, grass-clad hills of Pondoland..; and we have the long, even, monotonous grass-covered plains of the Orange Free State.
1934 Friend 16 Apr. (Swart)It was declared that the Free State union did not properly represent the interests of the ‘grassveld’ farmers.
1946 E. Roux Veld & Future 15Travelling east we come down off the Drakensberg into Natal. Here the rainfall may be 35 inches or more and we find a specially rich sort of grassveld, with very tall grasses.
1957 D. Jacobson Price of Diamonds 40Across the dry, flat veld, southwards into the Karroo, or north, east, west of the town, into the pale grassveld, Gottlieb’s or Fink’s car would tear.
1968 Farmer’s Weekly 3 Jan. 86Ewes also available. Acclimatised and bred on grassveld and therefore no risk for Transvaal, Natal and Northern Free State farmers.
1993 F. Van Rensburg in Getaway Nov. 93The end of March was too late to see the variety of bulbous grassveld plants in flower, but here and there some red-hot pokers..were still to be seen.
Uncultivated land on which the dominant vegetation type is indigenous grass. Also attributive.
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Afrikaans
grapple-plant, nounn.graze, nounn.
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