Definition

Noun: 1. An outlying farm: A farm, especially one that is located at a distance from a main house or village, often including its associated farmhouse and buildings. 2. (Historical) A farm belonging to a monastery or a feudal lord: In medieval England, a grange was a farm or estate that was owned and managed by a religious house (like a monastery) or a nobleman, typically worked by lay brothers or tenants.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The old grange stood alone on the hill, surrounded by fields.
  • In the 12th century, the Cistercian monks established a grange to manage their agricultural lands.
  • They moved from the city to restore a historic grange in the countryside.

Advanced Usage

• "The Grange" (Proper Noun): Often used as part of the name for a specific farmhouse or estate (e.g., "Oakley Grange").
• (Capitalized, U.S. Context): Refers specifically to The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, a fraternal organization for farmers founded in 1867, which advocates for agricultural interests. In this context, a local chapter meeting hall is also called a Grange Hall.
  • My grandparents were active members of the Grange for decades.
  • The community potluck is held at the Grange Hall every month.

Variants and Related Words

• Granger (noun): (Archaic) A farmer. (In the U.S., historically, a member of the Grange organization).

Synonyms

• Farmstead
• Farmhouse
• Homestead (especially in U.S. contexts)
• Ranch (in some U.S./Western contexts, though a ranch is typically larger and focused on livestock)

Related Idioms or Phrases

• (As) lonely as a grange: An informal simile emphasizing isolation, drawing from the image of a solitary farmhouse in the countryside.
  • After everyone left, the old house felt as lonely as a grange.

Noun

1. an outlying farm