farm
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /fɑːm/
enpr: färm
ipa: /fɑɹm/
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)m
Forms: form: farms
form: farming
form: farmed
form: farmed
Etymology: From Middle English fermen, from Anglo-Norman fermer (“to let out for a fixed payment, lease, rent”) ultimately from the same Old English source as Etymology 1. Compare Old English feormian (“to feed, supply with food, sustain”).
Senses: glosses: To work on a farm, especially in the growing and harvesting of crops.
glosses: To devote (land) to farming.
glosses: To grow (a particular crop).
examples: text: to farm the taxes
text: [The East-India Company] have contrived to farm their subjects, and their duties toward these subjects, to that very Nabob, whom they themselves constantly represent as an habitual oppressor and a relentless tyrant.
ref: 1783 December 1, “Speech on Mr. Fox's East-India Bill”, in The Works of R.H. Edmund Burke, volume 2, spoken by Edmund Burke, published 1855:
glosses: To give up to another, as an estate, a business, the revenue, etc., on condition of receiving in return a percentage of what it yields; to farm out.
examples: text: We are enforced to farm our royal realm.
ref: 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:
glosses: To lease or let for an equivalent, e.g. land for a rent; to yield the use of to proceeds.
examples: text: In Paris it is stated that nearly half the birth-rate of the city finds its way to nurses who farm babies in the suburbs.
ref: 1886, The Fortnightly, volume 46, page 530:
glosses: To take at a certain rent or rate.
examples: text: When you hit a black pudding with an iron weapon that does at least one point of damage there is a good chance it will divide into two black puddings of the same size (but half the hit points IIRC). […] When eaten black puddings confer several intrinsics so AC [armor class] is not the only potential benefit. […] Since black puddings are formidible^([sic]) monsters for an inexperienced character, farming is also a good way to die.
ref: 2004, Doug Freyburger, “Pudding Farming Requires Care”, in rec.games.roguelike.nethack (Usenet):
text: The practice of gold farming is controversial within gaming communities and violates the end user licensing agreements[…]
ref: 2010, Robert Alan Brookey, Hollywood Gamers, page 130:
glosses: To engage in grinding (repetitive activity) in a particular area or against specific enemies for a particular drop or item.
examples: text: What she lacked in aura and personality she made up for by farming likes on her profile.
text: See also: aura farming and like farm
text: The monetization of trending content creators on various platforms has enabled lucrative schemes for cheating the Algorithm, whereby a user may farm likes, views and shares with hired sock accounts and usually bots; though legislation is in its infancy, farming of course carries the risk of a permanent ban.
glosses: To engage in grinding (repetitive activity) in a particular area or against specific enemies for a particular drop or item.
To do the same action repeatedly or coordinately on a large scale, in order to attain a result in a way that is considered nonstandard (initially innovative) but usually frowned upon and considered cheating.
Derived terms: aura farm
aura farming
clip farm
farm down
farmer
farming
farm out
gold farming
karma farm
like farm
nonfarmed
refarmed
unfarmed
Related terms: agriculture
north forty