Graze
/ɡreɪz/noun
To feed on grass or other low vegetation, or to scrape lightly against a surface.
Did you know?English graze is linked to Old English græsan/græsian-type forms and ultimately to a Germanic root meaning to scrape or scratch, which is why the word’s history is more about abrasion than pasture.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*grēzōną
“to scrape, scratch, or graze against”
Old English
OE
græsian
“to graze, feed on grass; later also to scrape lightly”
Middle English
ME
gراzen
“to feed on pasture; to touch or scratch lightly”
Modern English
English
graze
“to feed on grass or to scrape lightly against something”