farm
Pronunciation
  • (America, Canada) enPR: färm, IPA: /fɑːɹm/
  • (British) IPA: /fɑːm/
Noun

farm (plural farms)

  1. A place where agricultural and similar activities take place, especially the growing of crops or the raising of livestock.
  2. A tract of land held on lease for the purpose of cultivation.
  3. (usually, in combination) A location used for an industrial purpose, having many similar structures
    fuel farm
    wind farm
    antenna farm
  4. (computing) A group of coordinated servers.
    a render farm
    a server farm
  5. (obsolete) Food; provisions; a meal.
  6. (obsolete) A banquet; feast.
  7. (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.
  8. (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.
  9. (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.
  10. The body of farmers of public revenues.
    • 1786, T. Jefferson, Writings (1859) I. 568:
      They despair of a suppression of the Farm.
  11. 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.
Translations Verb

farm (farms, present participle farming; past and past participle farmed)

  1. (intransitive) To work on a farm, especially in the growing and harvesting of crops.
  2. (transitive) To devote (land) to farming.
  3. (transitive) To grow (a particular crop).
  4. To give up to another, as an estate, a business, the revenue, etc., on condition of receiving in return a percentage of what it yields; to farm out.
    to farm the taxes
    • to farm their subjects and their duties toward these
  5. (obsolete) To lease or let for an equivalent, e.g. land for a rent; to yield the use of to proceeds.
    • 1595 December 9 (first known performance)​, William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act I, scene iv]:
      We are enforced to farm our royal realm.
  6. (obsolete) To take at a certain rent or rate.
  7. (video games, chiefly, online gaming) To engage in grinding (repetitive activity) in a particular area or against specific enemies for a particular drop or item.
    • 2004, "Doug Freyburger", Pudding Farming Requires Care (on newsgroup rec.games.roguelike.nethack)
      When you hit a black pudding with an iron weapon that does at least one point of damage there is a good chance it will divide into two black puddings of the same size (but half the hit points IIRC). […] When eaten black puddings confer several intrinsics so AC [armor class] is not the only potential benefit. […] Since black puddings are formidible[sic] monsters for an inexperienced character, farming is also a good way to die.
    • 2010, Robert Alan Brookey, Hollywood Gamers (page 130)
      The practice of gold farming is controversial within gaming communities and violates the end user licensing agreements […]
Translations Translations Verb

farm (farms, present participle farming; past and past participle farmed)

  1. (UK, dialectal) To cleanse; clean out; put in order; empty; empty out
    Farm out the stable and pigsty.



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