Main Entry: ¹turf

Pronunciation: \ˈtərf\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural turfs \ˈtərfs\ also turves \ˈtərvz\

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 Journal>

— turfy \ˈtər-fē\ adjective