agist

A farmer agists his neighbor's sheep in his pasture.

Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To take in livestock to graze on one's land for payment: "agist" refers to the act of accepting animals (such as cattle, sheep, or horses) onto one's property to feed on grass, in exchange for a fee or rent.
   • To assess or levy a tax on land or its owner: In historical or legal contexts, "agist" can mean to impose a tax on a piece of land or on the landowner, often based on the value of the grazing rights.

Usage Examples

• (The farmer allowed the neighbor's cows to graze on his land for payment.)
• (The court would tax the shared grazing lands annually.)

Advanced Usage

• "to agist land": to make land available for grazing livestock in exchange for payment.

  • He agisted his fields to a local shepherd, earning extra income. (He rented out his fields for sheep grazing.)

• "agistment" (noun): the act of agisting, or the fee paid for such grazing rights.

  • The agistment fee was set at £10 per head of cattle per month. (The charge for grazing was £10 per animal each month.)

Variants and Related Words

• Agistment (noun): the action of agisting; also, the payment received for grazing rights.

  • The agistment from the dairy herd provided a steady income. (The income from renting grazing land was reliable.)

• Agistor (noun): a person who agists livestock (i.e., who takes in animals to graze for payment).

  • The local agistor had a large pasture for horses. (The person who rents out grazing land had a big field for horses.)

Synonyms

• Graze: to feed on grass in a field.
• Pasture: to put animals out to feed on grass.
• Rent out (grazing rights): to allow use of land for a fee.

Related Idioms