Foggages

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

  1. Vegetation, especially grass, left to grow and serve as winter feed for livestock ; the aftermath or regrowth of hay or pasture after mowing ; material allowed to stand in meadows to provide fodder during leaner months
  2. Regrown pasture or grass kept uncut to provide sustenance for animals in colder seasons ; the second crop of herbage left after the initial harvest ; plant matter reserved in fields to support livestock when fresh forage is scarce
  3. Herbage left unharvested for later use as animal feed, notably in winter ; secondary growth of grass following an initial mowing or grazing ; meadow plants purposefully saved for livestock to graze during less productive periods

Etymology: The term in question appears to be a plural noun derived from the base "foggage," a somewhat obscure word in English. "Foggage" itself historically refers to the practice or period of mowing grass or hay—specifically the grass left to grow in fields or meadows before being cut. This agricultural term emerged in English around the late Middle Ages, with roots tied closely to farming life and seasonal cycles. Tracing further back, "foggage" likely stems from the Old English word "fogg," meaning coarse grass or rushes, which was common in marshy or wet pasture lands. This connects to a broader Germanic lineage where similar-sounding words referred to grass or herbage. The suffix "-age" was added in Middle English to form nouns indicating an action or related thing, thus "foggage" came to signify the act of cutting or the crop of such grass. Over time, "foggage" fell out of general use as agricultural practices modernized and more precise terminology developed. It survives mostly in dialectal or historical contexts and occasionally in literature describing rural life. The plural form, as in "foggages," would simply denote multiple instances or types of these grassy mowings or fields prepared for hay. Though not a common word today, its lineage offers a glimpse into medieval farming vocabulary and how the English language adapted everyday rural activities into its lexicon. The connection to natural cycles of growth and harvest remains embedded in this quiet agricultural relic.

Synonyms: fodder, hay, pasture, herbage, greenery