ground (
http://definr.com/ground)
adj : broken or pounded into small fragments; used of e.g. ore or
stone; "paved with crushed bluestone"; "ground glass is
used as an abrasive" [syn:
crushed]
n 1: the solid part of the earth's surface; "the plane turned
away from the sea and moved back over land"; "the earth
shook for several minutes"; "he dropped the logs on the
ground" [syn:
land,
dry land,
earth,
solid ground,
terra firma]
2: a rational motive for a belief or action; "the reason that
war was declared"; "the grounds for their declaration"
[syn:
reason]
3: the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the
land surface; "they dug into the earth outside the church"
[syn:
earth]
4: a relation that provides the foundation for something; "they
were on a friendly footing" or "he worked on an interim
basis" [syn:
footing,
basis]
5: a position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in
battle); "they gained ground step by step"; "they fought
to regain the lost ground"
6: the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in
the foreground; "he posed her against a background of
rolling hills" [syn:
background]
7: material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in
which plants can grow (especially with reference to its
quality or use); "the land had never been plowed"; "good
agricultural soil" [syn:
land,
soil]
8: a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the
figure on which attention is focused [ant:
figure]
9: a connection between an electrical device and the earth
(which is a zero voltage) [syn:
earth]
10: (art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the
paint for a painting
11: the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a
surface [syn:
flat coat,
primer,
priming, {primer
coat},
priming coat,
undercoat]
v 1: fix firmly and stably; "anchor the lamppost in concrete"
[syn:
anchor]
2: confine or restrict to the ground; "After the accident, they
grounded the plane and the pilot"
3: place or out on the ground
4: instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject
5: bring to the ground, as of vessels [syn:
run aground]
6: hit or reach the ground [syn:
run aground]
7: throw (a football) to the ground in order to stop play and
avoid being tackled behind the line of scrimmage"
8: hit a groundball, in baseball; "he grounded to the second
baseman"
9: hit (a baseball) onto the ground
10: cover with a primer; apply a primer to [syn:
prime,
undercoat]
11: connect to a ground, of electrical connections for safety
reasons
12: use as a basis for; found on; "base a claim on some
observation" [syn:
establish,
base,
found]