What does pasturage mean?
Pasturage means land on which livestock are grazed, especially cattle, sheep, or goats. It is a more formal or specialized alternative to the much more familiar word “pasture.” The term can denote the land itself, as in common or private pasturage, and can also refer to the practice or right of grazing animals on it. In historical and legal contexts, it may describe an arrangement in which one landowner or farmer is permitted to use another person's land for grazing. Ordinary speakers will usually use “pasture” for the basic idea and “grazing” for the activity, while “pasturage” remains especially useful in agricultural, legal, and historical writing. Its connections with shared commons and rural land rights make it more than a simple synonym for grassland.
nounLand used for grazing livestock; pasture. The word can also refer to the practice or right of grazing livestock on such land.
- Land used for grazing livestock.
- The practice or right of grazing livestock on land.
"The village retains its common pasturage, where sheep graze beside the river."
"The farmer rented additional pasturage for the cattle during the dry season."
"A longstanding agreement gives the neighboring farms access to the pasturage."
"The court considered who held the right to use the common pasturage."
The plural is used when referring to separate areas of grazing land or different rights or properties of pasturage.
"The estate included several sheltered pasturages near the river."
Pasturage links the open landscape of grazing animals with older ideas of shared land, livestock rights, and the rural commons.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pasturage come from?
The word comes through Middle English and Anglo-French or Old French forms ultimately connected with Latin pastura, meaning grazing or pasture. It developed alongside the English word “pasture,” which comes from the same French and Latin tradition. Related words include “pasturable,” meaning suitable for grazing, and “pastoral,” relating to shepherds or shepherds' work.
How pasturage is actually used
Pasturage is less common than “pasture” in everyday English and is especially associated with formal, legal, agricultural, and historical usage.
Easily confused with pasturage
Both words refer to land used for grazing livestock, but “pasturage” is the less common and more formal or legal term.