Wwoofed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Spent time working as an unpaid volunteer on an organic farm in exchange for food and lodging through a travel exchange scheme
2. Volunteered labour on organic farms in return for board and accommodation, arranged through a worldwide farm-stay network
3. Took part in a farm-stay exchange by helping out on an organic smallholding in return for room and meals

Etymology: "Wwoofed" is the past tense of "wwoof," which is an acronym for "willing work on organic farms." The verb describes spending time working on a farm, usually in exchange for food and lodging, as a volunteer. The acronym names the scheme itself, and the verb was formed by turning that name into a working verb, so that a volunteer could say they had "wwoofed" in a given country. Because the word is built from initial letters, it is pronounced as a single word, with the doubled "w" making the sound of a long "oo" in a compact form. The second paragraph would only repeat what the acronym already shows, so the etymology ends here.

Synonyms: volunteer