depasture

The sheep depasture on the green hillside.

Definition

1. Verb (intransitive):

   • To graze: "depasture" refers to the act of animals, especially cattle or sheep, feeding on grass in a pasture.
   • Example: The cattle depasture in the meadow every morning. (The cattle eat grass in the meadow.)

2. Verb (transitive):

   • To put out to graze: "depasture" also means to allow or cause livestock to feed on grass in a pasture.
   • Example: The farmer depastures his sheep on the hillside. (The farmer lets his sheep graze on the hillside.)

Usage Examples

• Intransitive:

  • The horses depasture freely in the open fields. (The horses eat grass freely in the fields.)
  • During summer, the goats depasture on the mountain slopes. (The goats graze on the slopes.)

• Transitive:

  • We depasture the cows in the lower pasture after the hay is cut. (We allow the cows to graze there.)
  • The land is too dry to depasture the herd this year. (The land is not suitable for grazing the herd.)

Advanced Usage

• "to depasture land": to use a piece of land for grazing animals.

  • The farmer decided to depasture the field for the season. (He used the field for grazing.)

• "to depasture a flock": to put a group of animals out to graze.

  • He depastures his flock of geese near the pond. (He lets the geese graze near the pond.)

Variants and Related Words

• Depastured (adj): having been grazed upon.

  • The depastured meadow showed signs of heavy use. (The meadow had been grazed.)

• Depasturing (n): the act of grazing.

  • Depasturing is essential for maintaining healthy grassland. (The act of grazing is important.)

• Pasture (n): land covered with grass for grazing.

  • The cows were led to the pasture. (The field for grazing.)

Synonyms

• Graze: to eat grass in a field.

  • The sheep graze on the hillside. (They eat grass.)

• Browse: to feed on leaves, shoots, or other vegetation.

  • Deer browse on young trees. (They feed on vegetation.)

• Crop: to eat grass or plants down to the ground.

  • The rabbits crop the grass short. (They eat it short.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Depasture on: to graze upon a specific area.
  • The animals depasture on the eastern slopes. (They graze there.)

Related Idioms

• None commonly used. "Depasture" is a rare, technical term primarily found in agricultural or legal contexts.