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 32 a: peat 2 b: a piece of peat dried for fuel3 a: a track or course for horse racing b: the sport or business of horse racing4 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

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