browsingn.
/ˈbraʊzɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈbraʊzɪŋ/ 1.
a. The feeding by animals on the young shoots, leaves, and twigs of shrubs and trees; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by eating habits > eating habits > [noun] > feeding on plants
browsing1448
phytophagy1870
the world > food and drink > food > animal food > [noun] > fodder > substance browsed on
browsing1448
browse1552
browse wood1598
browsage1610
cropping1768
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating by animals > [noun] > browsing
brutting1662
browsage1688
browse1794
browsing1859
1448 Close Roll, 27 Henry VI (P.R.O.: C 54/299) m. 25 Vna cum herbagio & pannagio eorundem parcorum subbosco bosco mortuo et bosco vento prostrato & brousyng infra eosdem parcos.
1463–5 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Apr. 1463 §40. m. 31 The loppes and croppes of woode, falled withynne our fryth of Leycestr', for the brusyng of our dere there.
1587 L. Mascall First Bk. Cattell iii. 253 These in feeding and brousing or pastoring doo alwayes obey the buckes, in descending and giuing them place.
1612 R. Ch. Olde Thrift newly Revived i. 18 You should fell boughes for brousing no bigger than the Deere may well turne ouer with his hornes.
1697 L. Meager Myst. Husb. l. 114 You may plant them among other Trees that are grown pretty well, to defend them from their brouzings, and from the biting cold.
1716 Worlidge's Compl. Syst. Husbandry & Gardening 160 These Pollard or Shrowded Trees need no Fence to be maintained about them, standing in no danger of the Browsings or Frications of Cattle, Conies, &c.
1790 Billington 13 The wandering kidlings that sport on the hills, leave their browsing to list to her lay.
1859 J. M. Jephson & L. Reeve Narr. Walking Tour Brittany ix. 144 Heather and gorse, kept short by the browsing of the goats.
1891 Morning Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) 22 Mar. 13/1 They followed the path of the cows..and traced their footprints and the marks of their browsings to the brook.
1919 Bull. U.S. Dept. Agric. No. 741. 17 Both browsing and trampling have a telling effect on the density and vigor of the reproduction.
1961 New Scientist 7 Dec. 628/3 Many young trees are deformed, and their growth is retarded by a year or more, by the browsing of these deer.
2012 K. Richardson Australia's Amazing Kangaroos ii. 147/2 Browsing is practised to some extent by most kangaroos.
b. Food for animals consisting of the young shoots, leaves, and twigs of shrubs and trees; land or vegetation suitable for browsing by animals. Also in plural in same sense.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > grassland > [noun] > pasture
leasowc950
leasea1000
pasturea1300
common pasturea1325
grassland1324
laund1340
lea1357
gang1413
feedingc1430
grassa1500
raika1500
beast-gate1507
pasturagec1515
grazing1517
average1537
pasture groundc1537
walk1549
grassing1557
pastural1575
browsing1577
feed1580
pastureland1591
meadow pasture1614
green side1616
range1626
pastorage1628
tore1707
graziery1731
pasturing1759
permanent pasture1771
sweet-veld1785
walk land1797
run1804
sweet-grass1812
potrero1822
pasturage land1855
turn-out1895
lawn1899
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 131 They..made them eate the browsing of wyld Olyue trees, and Mastyxe trees.
1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ ii. viii. 9 The Park,..for groves and browsings for the Deer..may compare with any.
1697 A. S. Husbandman, Farmer, & Grasier's Compl. Instructor 10 Browsings of Oak Shrubs or Sprays, are very wholsome to cleanse their Blood, and make them hold out the better in sharp Weather.
1805 London Gaz. 23–6 Nov. 1467/2 The Wood called Browsings, Windfall Wood, and dead Wood.
1881 D. J. Snider Walk in Hellas iii. 71 The mountains of Greece, whose sides are covered with abundance of green browsing.
1905 Badminton Mag. Dec. 618 As they cannot reach the browsing under the hard snow they are apt to die miserably.
1964 C. C. Trench Desert's Dusty Face 21 That depends on whether they have green bushes, or dry browsing.
2009 J. Matthews Dis. Goat (ed. 3) xvi. 293 A spontaneous cure may occur with exercise and access to browsings.
2. The action or an act of cutting the leaves and twigs of trees; the trimming of hedges. Cf. browser n. 1, browse v. 2. English regional (south-western) in later use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [noun] > pruning or lopping
shreddingc1000
putation?1440
snathing1485
loppingc1511
brushing1513
topping1513
twisting1535
pruning1548
heading1552
browsing1574
lop1575
disbranching1600
debranching1601
stocking1611
stowing1618
polling1626
supputation1656
summer pruning1669
snedding1720
shrouding1725
pollarding1794
thinning1800
brashing1950
1574 J. Baret Aluearie B 1298 A gathering together of leaues for beastes in winter; a browsing.
1889 Rep. & Trans. Devonshire Assoc. 21 87 Coachman-gardener, at Plymtree, about 50 years old, pointing to a man trimming a hedge, said, ‘They call that browsing.’
1891 R. P. Chope Dial. Hartland, Devonshire 30 Browsing-gloves, special gloves used in browsing, made of tanned leather.
3.
a. The action or an act of examining or looking through a book or books, esp. in a casual or leisurely manner. Later also more generally: the action or an act of looking at various items for sale in a shop, esp. in a casual or leisurely manner.Originally a use of sense 1a in a figurative context.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > reading > [noun] > skimming or browsing
skimming1711
skipping1824
browsing1836
riffling1909
skim-reading1926
riffle1951
riff1960
society > trade and finance > buying > [noun] > shopping > window-shopping
window gazing1659
browsing1836
window-shopping1875
1836 J. Chandler Non-resident M.A.'s Self-vind. 8 Dr. Hampden's solitary browsings in the wide field of Moral Philosophy.
1874 Old & New May 632 In such browsing here, and browsing there, an intelligent boy, girl, man, or woman finds out what is good for him.
1894 Amer. Homeopathist 1 Nov. 356/2 Even a cursory browsing in the leaves of the Appendix will show the enormous labor that has been expended upon this work.
1907 ‘E. Godfrey’ Eng. Children in Olden Time xix. 309 Those early browsings in the fields of romance by no means unfitted him to become an explorer in the paths of science.
1979 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 29 Sept. 3/1 It [sc. a farmers market] remains an enjoyable place for browsing and sniffing (especially at the bake counters).
2005 Psychologies (U.K. ed.) Dec. 40/2 You could rent a DVD with a hot scene in it, or even do some browsing at a local bookshop.
b. Reading material suitable for being browsed. Also as a count noun.
ΚΠ
1871 Sat. Rev. 14 Oct. 503/1 There is undoubtedly a good deal of pleasant literary browsing dispersed over the pages of that curious work.
1902 W. A. Raleigh Let. Aug. (1926) I. 241 I will not say that I have read it carefully all through, but I found browsings to interest me.
1966 Listener 20 Jan. 108/2 The book makes incomparable browsing.
2006 Kenyon Rev. 28 8 A lengthy section of footnotes also provides good browsing.
4. The action of viewing or looking through a number of files, search results, or other information on a computer; esp. the action or activity of viewing web pages on the internet. Cf. web browsing n. at web n. Compounds 4b.
ΚΠ
1962 P. C. Tiffany in Proc. Spring Joint Computer Conf. (Amer. Federation Information Processing Soc.) 296/2 Efforts should be extended to computerize this function... The system will also allow for browsing by the user.
1975 H. Katzan Computer Data Security v. 115 Level of authorization and data file protection severely restrict..the extent of the browsing that can be performed.
1986 Computer June 70/3 A visual approach to browsing will be needed by individuals with little training in traditional command languages.
1994 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 26 May 20 Mosaic [is] the graphical tool for browsing on the Internet.
2001 AUUGN July 23/1 Change the browseable setting to ‘yes’ to enable browsing of the user's home directory from a Window's machine.
2011 N. Georges 7 Powerful Ways to boost Retail Profits vii. 120 Modern websites have a format for mobile to enable easier browsing on smart phones and tablets.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
a. In sense 1, as browsing land, browsing plants, etc.
ΚΠ
1581 L. Mascall Husbandlye Ordring & Gouernmente Poultrie xxxiii. sig. E.viiv It shall not be good to keepe them [sc. geese] where there is low brousing hearbes.
1670 in 15th Rep. Commissioners Woods, Forests, & Land Revenues (House of Commons) (1793) App. xviii. 53 Deere-ffeld Wood sive Browsing wood.
1845 Standard 20 Dec. Where he can obtain browsing ground for his camels, he will manage to exist.
1878 P. W. Powlett Gazetteer of Ulwur iv. 132 Their slopes and summits are..covered with dhauk and other useful browsing shrubs.
1939 Christian Sci. Monitor 11 Aug. 5/3 Crops wouldn't grow on this swampland. But it was good browsing land for sheep.
2015 R. Thistlethwaite & J. Dunlop New Livestock Farmer iii. 63/1 You can encourage the growth of browsing plants by letting your pastures rest longer.
b. In sense 3, as browsing opportunity, browsing matter, etc.
ΚΠ
1886 Christian Reg. (Boston) 14 Oct. 641/1 In reading, it may be well to allow some time for this browsing habit.
1932 Times 29 July 17/4 ‘Over: Some Personal Remarks on the Game of Cricket’..is a browsing book about the great game.
1960 Women's Wear Daily 25 Mar. 8/3 Whatever the subject for window display..Fifth Avenue offers browsing opportunities.
1960 A. E. Ellsworth Planning Coll. & Univ. Libr. Building xiii. 55 The entire library is thought of as a browsing collection... Why have a browsing room in an open shelf library?
1983 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 2 July (Entertainment section) 15/4 Elaborate atlases..are browsing matter without equal.
2012 A. Stone Fooling Houdini xi. 259 The Conjuring Arts Research Center is not a walk-in library... It's also not a browsing library.
c. In sense 4, as browsing experience, browsing software, etc.
ΚΠ
1967 R. E. Sprague in Business Automation June 53/2 A partnership or conversational mode, or browsing technique between man and computer is still in the early formative stages.
1979 R. S. Marcus & J. F. Reintjes Exper. & Anal. Computer Interface Information-retrieval Network ii. 18 Perform the browsing command to display terms alphabetically near term.
1983 Computer May 52/2 Managers can use interactive retrieval and browsing functions to continually review the design.
1994 N.Y. Times 23 Sept. d2/4 New ‘browsing’ software..makes it easier for individuals to find their way around the Internet.
2008 Daily Tel. 29 May 26/2 Firefox is an open-source browser, which means that anyone can build small applications..to enable users to tailor their browsing experience.
C2.
browsing history n. a record of the information browsed by a user on a computer; esp. (in a web browser) a record of recently visited web pages, stored with associated data.
ΚΠ
1989 Data Engin. (IEEE Computer Soc.) 12 48 If browsing history is maintained, then users are able to retract [sic] their steps.
1991 J. A. Waterworth Multimedia ix. 237 There are..various interesting features that can be incorporated into our knowledge-based hypermedia system in the future:—Profiling the user so that it is sensitive to the user's browsing history. [etc.]
2015 P. Hautman Flinkwater Factor ii. 10 According to the browsing history on his tablet, J.G. had recently been perusing a site specializing in X-rated manga.
browsing line n. a line marking the bottom of the foliage of trees and tall shrubs, created by animals browsing to a uniform height.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > defined by habit > tree or woody plant > wood or assemblage of trees or shrubs > [noun] > browsing-line
browsing line1803
1803 H. Repton Observ. Landscape Gardening iv. 51 Stripped of their foliage to a certain height..which I shall call the browsing line.
1899 Gardeners' Chron. 23 Dec. 466/1 This browsing-line can be broken and destroyed by pruning the trees up to different heights.
2008 Times (Nexis) 10 Oct. Large clumps of mature trees with the classic ‘browsing’ line made by cattle grazing the lower branches.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2016; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
browsingadj.
/ˈbraʊzɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈbraʊzɪŋ/ 1. Of an animal: that feeds on the young shoots, leaves, and twigs of shrubs and trees; that browses (browse v. 1b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating by animals > [adjective] > browsing
browsing1605
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. vi. 195 In a fresh Troupe, the fearefull Hare I note, Th'obliuious Conney, and the brouzing Goat.
1616 W. Browne Britannia's Pastorals II. ii. i. 18 We see the Hollyes, Ashes, euery where Rob'd of their cloathing by the browsing Game.
1682 J. Phillips Conf. Observator & Heraclitus 27 The long shades of several tall Elms, that were guarded from the brousing Cattle with sundry sweet-smelling brakes.
1717 A. Pope Fable of Dryope in Wks. 279 Nor let my branches feel The browzing cattel, or the piercing steel.
1726 A. Pope tr. Homer Odyssey IV. xvii. 620 The grazing ox and browzing goat.
1808 J. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Inverness viii. 176 What would become of all browsing animals, when the crop is gone?
1863 A. C. Ramsay Physical Geol. & Geogr. Great Brit. xxviii. 459 Carnivorous and browsing mammalia.
1915 Pop. Sci. Monthly Mar. 255 The teeth are those of a browsing, not of a grazing animal.
1968 I. W. Cornwall Prehistoric Animals & their Hunters 19 Exploiting the browsing, grazing and gnawing vegetarians will be a community of flesh-eating animals.
2007 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 5 Aug. iv. 2/2 Protecting young aspen shoots from browsing elk.
2. Of a person: that browses through books or the contents of a book, magazine, etc.; that browses in a shop, library, or other location.Recorded earliest in slow-browsing adj.
ΚΠ
1884 Nation 20 Nov. 439/3 [In the Gentleman's Magazine] we can see the slow-browsing country-folk suddenly possessed by a thought, or a doubt, or a wanting to know.
1899 Educ. Times 1 Nov. 465/2 One can..pull down any book that takes one's fancy—to a certain extent, that is. All the books are not thus available for the browsing student.
1934 Lincoln (Nebraska) Star 12 Aug. c–d 6/5 The mongrel clutter of an auction house. Few antiques... Only a few browsing patrons.
1995 Guardian 11 Feb. (Weekend Suppl.) 50/5 Manuscripts and scrolls..ranged on open shelves.., each with a label tongue proffered to the browsing scholar.
2016 G. Vickery Franklin's Emporium 58 The lift jerked upwards to the third floor with its rows of units and browsing customers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2016; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1448adj.1605