browse
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- pronunciation:
- braUz
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
verb |
| inflections: |
browses, browsing, browsed |
| definition 1: |
to examine things in a slow and casual way.
I'm just browsing, not shopping.- synonyms:
- poke around
- similar words:
- shop, window-shop
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| definition 2: |
to graze or feed on growing plants.
The cows browsed in the field all day.- synonyms:
- graze
- similar words:
- eat, feed, nibble
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| related words: |
roam |
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| derivation: |
browser (n.) |
Browse comes from a French word that means "a bud or sprout." In the 1400s, the English word "browse" meant "to graze." Grazing animals tend to nibble at the young, more tender parts of plants.
Browse was first used to mean "look through a book casually or slowly" in the 1800s. When one browses through a book, it is as though one is slowly eating or nibbling lightly.