farm

English

Alternative forms

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Photo of a farm, by Ansel Adams

Pronunciation

Etymology

From Middle English ferme, farme (“rent, revenue, produce, factor, stewardship, meal, feast”), from Old English feorm, fearm, farm (“provision, food, supplies, provisions supplied by a tenant or vassal to his lord, rent, possessions, stores, feast, entertainment, haven”) (whence also Medieval Latin ferma, firma), from Proto-Germanic *fermō (“means of living, subsistence”), from Proto-Germanic *ferhwō, *ferhuz (“life force, body, being”), from Proto-Indo-European *perkʷ- (“life, force, strength, tree”). Cognate with Scots ferm (“rent, farm”). Related also to Old English feorh (“life, spirit”), German Ferch (“life, blood”), Icelandic fjör (“life, vitality, vigour, animation”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍈𐌿𐍃 (fairƕus, “the world”). Compare also Old English feormehām (“farm”), feormere (“purveyor, grocer”).

Old English feorm is the origin of Medieval Latin ferma, firma (“farm", also "feast”) (whence also Old French ferme, Occitan ferma), instead of the historically assumed derivation from unrelated Latin firma (“firm, solid”), which shares the same form. The sense of "rent, fixed payment", which was already present in the Old English word, may have been further strengthened due to resemblance to Latin firmitas (“security, surety”). Additionally, Old French ferme continued to shape the development of the English word throughout the Middle English period [1][2][3].

Noun

farm (plural farms)

  1. (obsolete) Food; provisions; a meal
  2. (obsolete) A banquet; feast
  3. (obsolete) A fixed yearly amount (food, provisions, money, etc.) payable as rent or tax
    • 1642, tr. J. Perkins, Profitable Bk. (new ed.) xi. §751. 329:
      If a man be bounden unto 1.s. in 100.l.£ to grant unto him the rent and farme of such a Mill.
    • 1700, J. Tyrrell, Gen. Hist. Eng. II. 814:
      All..Tythings shall stand at the old Farm, without any Increase.
    • 1767, W. Blackstone, Comm. Laws Eng. II. 320:
      The most usual and customary feorm or rent..must be reserved yearly on such lease.
  4. (historical) A fixed yearly sum accepted from a person as a composition for taxes or other moneys which he is empowered to collect; also, a fixed charge imposed on a town, county, etc., in respect of a tax or taxes to be collected within its limits.
    • 1876, E. A. Freeman, Hist. Norman Conquest V. xxiv. 439:
      He [the Sheriff] paid into the Exchequer the fixed yearly sum which formed the farm of the shire.
  5. (historical) The letting-out of public revenue to a ‘farmer’; the privilege of farming a tax or taxes.
    • 1885, Edwards in Encycl. Brit. XIX. 580:
      The first farm of postal income was made in 1672.
  6. The body of farmers of public revenues.
    • 1786, T. Jefferson, Writings (1859) I. 568:
      They despair of a suppression of the Farm.
  7. The condition of being let at a fixed rent; lease; a lease
    • a1599, Spenser, View State Ireland in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) 58:
      It is a great willfullnes in any such Land-lord to refuse to make any longer farmes unto their Tennants.
    • 1647, N. Bacon, Hist. Disc. Govt. 75:
      Thence the Leases so made were called Feormes or Farmes, which word signifieth Victuals.
    • 1818, W. Cruise, Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. (ed. 2) IV. 68:
      The words demise, lease, and to farm let, are the proper ones to constitute a lease.
  8. A tract of land held on lease for the purpose of cultivation
  9. A place where agricultural and similar activities take place, especially the growing of crops or the raising of livestock
  10. (usually in combination) A location used for an industrial purpose, having many similar structures
    fuel farm; wind farm; antenna farm
  11. (computing) A group of coordinated servers
    a render farm; a server farm

Translations

a place where agricultural activities take place

Verb

farm (third-person singular simple present farms, present participle farming, simple past and past participle farmed)

  1. (intransitive) To work on a farm, especially in the growing and harvesting of crops
  2. (transitive) To grow a particular crop
  3. (video games, chiefly online gaming) To engage in grinding in a particular area or against specific enemies for a particular drop.
    pudding farming in NetHack

Translations

to work on a farm
to grow a particular crop

Related terms

References

  1. ^ The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, "farm".
  2. ^ Wedgwood, Atkinson, A dictionary of English etymology, Farm.
  3. ^ Mantello, Rigg, Medieval Latin: an introduction and bibliographical guide, 11.3

Oxford English Dictionary, 1884-1928, and First Supplement, 1933

See also

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Dalmatian

Alternative forms

  • fiarm

Etymology

From Latin firmus. Compare Italian fermo.

Adjective

farm

  1. still, firm, steady, stationary
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Dutch

Verb

farm

  1. first-person singular present indicative of farmen
  2. imperative of farmen
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Volapük

Noun

farm (plural farms)

  1. farm

Declension

declension of farm
singular plural
nominative farm farms
genitive farma farmas
dative farme farmes
accusative farmi farmis
predicative farmu farmus
vocative o farm! o farms!
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Last modified on 20 May 2013, at 14:49