meadow

noun

mead·​ow ˈme-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce meadow (audio)
often attributive
: land that is covered or mostly covered with grass
wildflowers blooming in the meadow
especially : a tract of moist low-lying usually level grassland
meadowy adjective

Examples of meadow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Damp places, and even open meadows that have seen lots of rain this winter are now sprouting with these fascinating organisms. Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 As winter’s chilly grip makes way for warmer climes and longer days, spring wildflower blooms erupt in colorful splendor across the region’s alpine meadows, rugged coastlines, and grassland prairies. Krista Simmons and J.d. Simkins, Sunset Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024 Missoula is about 140 miles from Glacier National Park, a popular summer vacation spot for its setting of mountain ranges along glaciers, alpine meadows, lakes, forests and waterfalls. Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024 The resulting arrangements in this chapter echo wild meadows in midsummer bloom, with arrangements of Sweet Annie, artemisia, twisted blackberry vines, wild grasses, Lady’s Bedstraw, and Queen Anne’s Lace. Christine Chitnis, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024 Today visitors can access 1,063 acres of woodlands, meadows and canyons for viewing nature and visiting sites like the historic Villa Maria orchard. Lisa Thorn, The Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2024 Here, the Green Mountains provide a backdrop that's almost as calming as the bucolic meadows the property calls home. Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024 Teeming with life, the preserve lets hikers admire vast meadows and tall oak trees, a pond with water fowl and even cows munching on grass alongside the roughly 3-mile loop trail. Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Feb. 2024 Most mornings, the sun would start its appearance by sending up rosy fingers of cloud, the soft light filtering through the trees to reveal a herd of fat deer in the meadow that surrounds the cabin on three sides. Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'meadow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English medwe, medowe "grassland kept for hay, pasture field," going back to Old English mǣdwe, oblique singular case form of mǣd, going back to West Germanic *mēdwō- (whence also Old Frisian mēde "pasture, meadow," Middle Dutch māde, mēde), noun derivative from the verbal base *mē- "reap, mow" — more at mow entry 2

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of meadow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near meadow

Cite this Entry

“Meadow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meadow. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

meadow

noun
mead·​ow ˈmed-ō How to pronounce meadow (audio)
: an area of moist low usually level grassland
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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