Grassland
/ˈɡræs.lænd/noun
Land dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants, with few or no trees.
Did you know?The word is a transparent Germanic compound: its ancestors described both the green vegetation itself and the land people lived upon, rather than invoking any magical or occult meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ghreh₁-
“To grow or become green; a proposed root behind the Germanic family of words for grass.”
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*grasą
“Grass or vegetation growing from the ground.”
Old English
Old English
græs
“Grass, herb, or plant; the source of modern English grass.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*lendʰ-
“Land or open ground; the proposed ancestral root of Germanic land.”
Old English
Old English
land
“Land, ground, territory, or region.”
Middle English
Middle English
grasslond
“Ground covered with grass; a compound of grass and land.”
Modern English
English
grassland
“An area chiefly covered by grasses, typically with few trees.”