Sward
noun /swɔːd/ — An expanse of short, lush grass.
Definition
An expanse of short grass; a lawn or grassy area that is smooth and continuous — the kind of grass that invites sitting.
Beyond the definition
Sward is the word for a particular kind of grass that seems designed for lying down on — even, short, dense, impossibly green. English gardens cultivate swards with extraordinary attention. The word is old and specific in a way that makes you see the thing more precisely.
Origin & history
From Old English sweard (skin, rind). The topmost surface of the earth — the skin of the ground. A beautiful obsolete sense: the earth's own skin.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The deer moved across the sward at dusk, barely disturbing the grass.
The college had a sward that was three hundred years old and absolutely forbidden to walk on.
She wanted nothing more than to lie on a sward and watch the clouds.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Sward” when the meaning fits your context: An expanse of short grass; a lawn or grassy area that is smooth and continuous — the kind of grass that invites sitting.
Synonyms
lawn, grass, turf, greensward
Antonyms
pavement, concrete, desert
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Illustrative example
Lawn Covered in Leaves
Colourful autumn leaves are scattered across a smooth, continuous lawn, creating a vibrant, soft-looking expanse of ground.
The lawn, as an expanse of grass, is the definition of a sward. The smooth and continuous surface, now covered in autumn color, invites one to sit and enjoy the quiet, natural area.
Image credit: Jules Verne Times Two · CC BY-SA 4.0 (license)
Resized and converted to WebP; displayed with a fitted crop.
Questions about this word
What does "Sward" mean?
Sward is noun meaning: An expanse of short, lush grass.. An expanse of short grass; a lawn or grassy area that is smooth and continuous — the kind of grass that invites sitting.
Where does the word "Sward" come from?
From Old English sweard (skin, rind). The topmost surface of the earth — the skin of the ground. A beautiful obsolete sense: the earth's own skin.