field
[feeld]
| 1. | an expanse of open or cleared ground, esp. a piece of land suitable or used for pasture or tillage. |
| 2. | Sports.
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| 3. | Baseball.
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| 4. | a sphere of activity, interest, etc., esp. within a particular business or profession: the field of teaching; the field of Shakespearean scholarship. |
| 5. | the area or region drawn on or serviced by a business or profession; outlying areas where business activities or operations are carried on, as opposed to a home or branch office: our representatives in the field. |
| 6. | a job location remote from regular workshop facilities, offices, or the like. |
| 7. | Military.
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| 8. | an expanse of anything: a field of ice. |
| 9. | any region characterized by a particular feature, resource, activity, etc.: a gold field. |
| 10. | the surface of a canvas, shield, etc., on which something is portrayed: a gold star on a field of blue. |
| 11. | (in a flag) the ground of each division. |
| 12. | Physics. the influence of some agent, as electricity or gravitation, considered as existing at all points in space and defined by the force it would exert on an object placed at any point in space. Compare electric field, gravitational field, magnetic field. |
| 13. | Also called field of view. Optics. the entire angular expanse visible through an optical instrument at a given time. |
| 14. | Electricity. the structure in a generator or motor that produces a magnetic field around a rotating armature. |
| 15. | Mathematics. a number system that has the same properties relative to the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division as the number system of all real numbers; a commutative division ring. |
| 16. | Photography. the area of a subject that is taken in by a lens at a particular diaphragm opening. |
| 17. | Psychology. the total complex of interdependent factors within which a psychological event occurs and is perceived as occurring. |
| 18. | Computers.
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| 19. | Television. one half of the scanning lines required to form a complete television frame. In the U.S., two fields are displayed in 1/30 second: all the odd-numbered lines in one field and all the even lines in the next field. Compare frame (def. 9). |
| 20. | Numismatics. the blank area of a coin, other than that of the exergue. |
| 21. | Fox Hunting. the group of participants in a hunt, exclusive of the master of foxhounds and his staff. |
| 22. | Heraldry. the whole area or background of an escutcheon. |
| 23. | Baseball, Cricket.
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| 24. | to place in competition: to field a candidate for governor. |
| 25. | to answer or reply skillfully: to field a difficult question. |
| 26. | to put into action or on duty: to field police cars to patrol an area. |
| 27. | Informal. field-test. |
| 28. | to act as a fielder; field the ball. |
| 29. | to take to the field. |
| 30. | Sports.
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| 31. | Military. of or pertaining to campaign and active combat service as distinguished from service in rear areas or at headquarters: a field soldier. |
| 32. | of or pertaining to a field. |
| 33. | grown or cultivated in a field. |
| 34. | working in the fields of a farm: field laborers. |
| 35. | working as a salesperson, engineer, representative, etc., in the field: an insurance company's field agents. |
| 36. | in the field,
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| 37. | keep the field, to remain in competition or in battle; continue to contend: The troops kept the field under heavy fire. |
| 38. | out in left field. left field (def. 3). |
| 39. | play the field, Informal.
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| 40. | take the field,
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bef. 1000; ME, OE feld; c. G Feld

Field
[feeld]
| 1. | Cyrus West, 1819–92, U.S. financier: projector of the first Atlantic cable. |
| 2. | David Dudley, Jr., 1805–94, U.S. jurist (brother of Cyrus West and Stephen Johnson Field). |
| 3. | Erastus Salisbury, 1805–1900, U.S. painter. |
| 4. | Eugene, 1850–95, U.S. poet and journalist. |
| 5. | John, 1782–1837, Irish pianist and composer. |
| 6. | Marshall, 1834–1906, U.S. merchant and philanthropist. |
| 7. | Stephen Johnson, 1816–99, U.S. jurist: associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court 1863–97 (brother of Cyrus West and David Dudley Field). |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| Field, Eugene 1850-1895. American writer known for his children's verse, especially "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" and "Little Boy Blue." |
| Field, Marshall 1834-1906. American merchant who organized Marshall Field and Company, the largest wholesale and retail dry goods establishment of the late 1800s. |
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Field
Field\, n. [OE. feld, fild, AS. feld; akin to D. veld, G. feld, Sw. f["a]lt, Dan. felt, Icel. fold field of grass, AS. folde earth, land, ground, OS. folda.]1. Cleared land; land suitable for tillage or pasture; cultivated ground; the open country. 2. A piece of land of considerable size; esp., a piece inclosed for tillage or pasture. Fields which promise corn and wine. --Byron. 3. A place where a battle is fought; also, the battle itself. In this glorious and well-foughten field. --Shak. What though the field be lost? --Milton. 4. An open space; an extent; an expanse. Esp.: (a) Any blank space or ground on which figures are drawn or projected. (b) The space covered by an optical instrument at one view. Without covering, save yon field of stars. --Shak. Ask of yonder argent fields above. --Pope. 5. (Her.) The whole surface of an escutcheon; also, so much of it is shown unconcealed by the different bearings upon it. See Illust. of Fess, where the field is represented as gules (red), while the fess is argent (silver). 6. An unresticted or favorable opportunity for action, operation, or achievement; province; room. Afforded a clear field for moral experiments. --Macaulay. 7. A collective term for all the competitors in any outdoor contest or trial, or for all except the favorites in the betting. 8. (Baseball) That part of the grounds reserved for the players which is outside of the diamond; -- called also outfield. Note: Field is often used adjectively in the sense of belonging to, or used in, the fields; especially with reference to the operations and equipments of an army during a campaign away from permanent camps and fortifications. In most cases such use of the word is sufficiently clear; as, field battery; field fortification; field gun; field hospital, etc. A field geologist, naturalist, etc., is one who makes investigations or collections out of doors. A survey uses a field book for recording field notes, i.e., measurment, observations, etc., made in field work (outdoor operations). A farmer or planter employs field hands, and may use a field roller or a field derrick. Field sports are hunting, fishing, athletic games, etc. Coal field (Geol.) See under Coal. Field artillery, light ordnance mounted on wheels, for the use of a marching army. Field basil (Bot.), a plant of the Mint family (Calamintha Acinos); -- called also basil thyme. Field colors (Mil.), small flags for marking out the positions for squadrons and battalions; camp colors. Field cricket (Zo["o]l.), a large European cricket (Gryllus campestric), remarkable for its loud notes. Field day. (a) A day in the fields. (b) (Mil.) A day when troops are taken into the field for instruction in evolutions. --Farrow. (c) A day of unusual exertion or display; a gala day. Field driver, in New England, an officer charged with the driving of stray cattle to the pound. Field duck (Zo["o]l.), the little bustard (Otis tetrax), found in Southern Europe. Field glass. (Optics) (a) A binocular telescope of compact form; a lorgnette; a race glass. (b) A small achromatic telescope, from 20 to 24 inches long, and having 3 to 6 draws. (c) See Field lens. Field lark. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The skylark. (b) The tree pipit. Field lens (Optics), that one of the two lenses forming the eyepiece of an astronomical telescope or compound microscope which is nearer the object glass; -- called also field glass. Field madder (Bot.), a plant (Sherardia arvensis) used in dyeing. Field marshal (Mil.), the highest military rank conferred in the British and other European armies. Field mouse (Zo["o]l.), a mouse inhabiting fields, as the campagnol and the deer mouse. See Campagnol, and Deer mouse. Field officer (Mil.), an officer above the rank of captain and below that of general. Field officer's court (U.S.Army), a court-martial consisting of one field officer empowered to try all cases, in time of war, subject to jurisdiction of garrison and regimental courts. --Farrow. Field plover (Zo["o]l.), the black-bellied plover (Charadrius squatarola); also sometimes applied to the Bartramian sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda). Field spaniel (Zo["o]l.), a small spaniel used in hunting small game. Field sparrow. (Zo["o]l.) (a) A small American sparrow (Spizella pusilla). (b) The hedge sparrow. [Eng.] Field staff> (Mil.), a staff formerly used by gunners to hold a lighted match for discharging a gun. Field vole (Zo["o]l.), the European meadow mouse. Field of ice, a large body of floating ice; a pack. Field, or Field of view, in a telescope or microscope, the entire space within which objects are seen. Field magnet. see under Magnet. Magnetic field. See Magnetic. To back the field, or To bet on the field. See under Back, v. t. -- To keep the field. (a) (Mil.) To continue a campaign. (b) To maintain one's ground against all comers. To lay, or back, against the field, to bet on (a horse, etc.) against all comers. To take the field (Mil.), to enter upon a campaign.Field
Field\, v. t. (Ball Playing) To catch, stop, throw, etc. (the ball), as a fielder.Cite This Source
field (n.)
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Main Entry: field
Pronunciation: 'fE(&)ld
Function: noun
1 : an area or division of an activity field>
2 : a complex of forces that serve as causative agents in human behavior
3 a : a region of embryonic tissue potentially capable of a particular type ofdifferentiation field> b : a region or space in which a given effect (as magnetism) exists
4 a : an area that is perceived or underobservation; especially : the area visible through the lens of an optical instrument —see VISUAL FIELD b : the site of a surgical operation
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field (fēld) Pronunciation Key
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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field data, database
An area of a database record, or graphical user interface form, into which a particular item of data is entered.
Example usage: "The telephone number field is not really a numerical field", "Why do we need a four-digit field for the year?".
A database column is the set of all instances of a given field from all records in a table.
(1999-04-26)
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Field
(Heb. sadeh), a cultivated field, but unenclosed. It is applied to any cultivated ground or pasture (Gen. 29:2; 31:4; 34:7), or tillage (Gen. 37:7; 47:24). It is also applied to woodland (Ps. 132:6) or mountain top (Judg. 9:32, 36; 2 Sam. 1:21). It denotes sometimes a cultivated region as opposed to the wilderness (Gen. 33:19; 36:35). Unwalled villages or scattered houses are spoken of as "in the fields" (Deut. 28:3, 16; Lev. 25:31; Mark 6:36, 56). The "open field" is a place remote from a house (Gen. 4:8; Lev. 14:7, 53; 17:5). Cultivated land of any extent was called a field (Gen. 23:13, 17; 41:8; Lev. 27:16; Ruth 4:5; Neh. 12:29).
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field
In addition to the idiom beginning with field, also see cover the field; far afield; out in left field; play the field; take the field.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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