zero-grazeverb
Factsheet
What does the verb zero-graze mean?
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the verb zero-graze. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the verb zero-graze?
| 1950 | 0.0015 |
| 1960 | 0.0018 |
| 1970 | 0.0021 |
| 1980 | 0.0023 |
| 1990 | 0.0026 |
| 2000 | 0.0029 |
| 2010 | 0.003 |
Where does the verb zero-graze come from?
Earliest known use
1950s
The earliest known use of the verb zero-graze is in the 1950s.
OED's earliest evidence for zero-graze is from 1954, in Berkshire Evening Eagle (Pittsfield, Massachusetts).
Nearby entries
- zero derivation, n.1960–
- zero derivative, adj. & n.1948–
- zero-derived, adj.1971–
- zero-dimensional, adj.1880–
- zero-emission, n. & adj.1952–
- zero-energy, adj.1947–
- zero-field, adj.1915–
- zero-G, adj. & n.1950–
- zero grade, n.1888–
- zero gravity, n. & adj.1915–
- zero-graze, v.1954–
- zero-grazed, adj.1958–
- zero grazing, n.1954–
- zero growth, n.1907–
- zero hour, n.1915–
- zero-hours, adj.1988–
- zeroing, n.1906–
- zeroize, v.1894–
- zero-length, adj.1945–
- zero-line, n.1834–
- zero magnet, n.1890–
Meaning & use
- 1954–transitive to feed (cattle) with cut grass brought to them instead of putting them out to pasture; cf. soil v.4 1.
- 1954
180 milkers are being zero-grazed on only 40 acres this season.
Berkshire Evening Eagle (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) 1 September 32/4 - 1970
Cows were zero-grazed and never stepped off concrete.
R. Jeffries, Dead Man's Bluff vi. 56 - 2008
The method of zero-grazing cattle..would condemn cattle to the very confined indoor existence that is being condemned when applied to poultry.
Western Daily Press (Nexis) 18 January 14
the world food and drink food providing or receiving food feeding animals [transitive verbs] feed with specific food or meal- sup1575–1836transitive. Falconry and Hunting. To give the last feed of the day to (a hawk, horse, or hound). Also with up. Obsolete.
- winter-feed1606–transitive to feed or maintain (animals) during winter; to provide with winter fodder.
- soil1608–transitive. To feed (horses, cattle, etc.) on fresh-cut green fodder, originally for the purpose of purging; †to feed up or fatten (fowls).
- supper1666–transitive. Chiefly Scottish and English regional (northern). To give a final evening feed to (an animal), sometimes including bedding it down for…
- browse1675–transitive. To feed (cattle, deer, goats, etc.) on the young shoots, leaves, and twigs of shrubs and trees; to allow (animals) to feed in this way.
- cake1799–transitive. To feed (cattle or other livestock) on cake (cake, n. A.I.4b). Also intransitive.
- slop1848–U.S. dialect and colloquial. To feed (pigs or cattle) with slops.
- mash1859transitive. To feed (a horse) with a mash. Obsolete. rare.
- pair-feed1944–transitive to feed two groups of (experimental animals) with a diet identical except for the item whose effects are being tested on one group.
- zero-graze1954–transitive to feed (cattle) with cut grass brought to them instead of putting them out to pasture; cf. soil, v.⁴ 1.
Frequency
zero-graze typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.
zero-graze is in frequency band 2, which contains words occurring between 0.001 and 0.01 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands
Frequency of zero-graze, v., 1950–2010
* Occurrences per million words in written English
Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.
The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.
For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.
Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.
| Decade | Frequency per million words |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0015 |
| 1960 | 0.0018 |
| 1970 | 0.0021 |
| 1980 | 0.0023 |
| 1990 | 0.0026 |
| 2000 | 0.0029 |
| 2010 | 0.003 |