grassland

grassland — noun

1. an area of land where the main plants growing naturally are grasses — such as th

1.nounB1
Definition

an area of land where the main plants growing naturally are grasses — such as the wide, open plains of Africa or the prairies of North America.

Example

The vast grasslands of the Serengeti are home to lions, zebras, and giraffes.

plural 'grasslands' with geographic modifier

Farmers use the grassland near the river to feed their cattle during the summer.

collocation: use grassland for grazing

Common collocations
  • open grassland
  • vast grassland
  • native grassland
  • grassland ecosystem
  • grassland habitat
Synonyms
  • prairie

    a large area of flat grassland, especially in North America

  • meadow

    a smaller area of grassland, often in a valley or near a river

  • pasture

    grassland used specifically for farm animals to eat

  • savanna

    a tropical grassland with scattered trees, found in Africa and parts of South America

Antonyms
  • desert

    a dry area with very little grass or plant life

  • forest

    an area of land covered mainly with trees, not grass

Grammar Patterns

grassland (uncountable)

the grasslands (plural, referring to specific regions)

Usage Note

Usually uncountable. The plural form 'grasslands' is common when talking about several separate areas of grassland, especially in different geographic locations (e.g. 'the grasslands of East Africa').

Common Mistakes

The grassland are very wide.
The grassland is very wide.
'grassland' is uncountable and takes a singular verb.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While grassland is a general term for any large area dominated by grasses, each synonym picks out a specific type. Prairie refers to the vast, flat grasslands of central North America, often with deep soil and few trees. Meadow describes a smaller, often wildflower-filled grassy area, commonly found in valleys or near streams in Europe and North America. Pasture is grassland that people manage for livestock grazing — it may be fenced and planted with specific grass types. Savanna refers to tropical grasslands with scattered trees and shrubs, typical of East Africa and parts of South America. For example: 'The American prairie once stretched from Texas to Canada,' but 'We had a picnic in a meadow beside the river.'

prairie ↗meadowpasture ↗savanna

Common collocations

Nouns

  • grassland area
  • grassland region
  • grassland fire
  • grassland bird

Phrases

  • open grassland
  • vast grassland
  • native grassland

Prepositions

  • on the grassland
  • across the grassland
  • of grassland

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

A compound of 'grass' and 'land', both from Old English. 'Grass' comes from Old English 'græs' (herbage, blade of grass), and 'land' from Old English 'land' (ground, soil). The word 'grassland' first appeared in English around the 17th century to describe land covered with grass, and became widely used in geography and ecology during the 19th century.