farm out
noun
1.
a tract of land, usually with a house, barn, silo, etc., on which crops and often livestock are raised for livelihood.
2.
land or water devoted to the raising of animals, fish, plants, etc.: a pig farm; an oyster farm; a tree farm.
3.
a similar, usually commercial, site where a product is manufactured or cultivated: a cheese farm; a honey farm.
4.
the system, method, or act of collecting revenue by leasing a territory in districts.
5.
a country or district leased for the collection of revenue.
6.
a fixed yearly amount accepted from a person in view of local or district taxes that he or she is authorized to collect.
7.
a tract of land on which an industrial function is carried out, as the drilling or storage of oil or the generation of electricity by solar power.
8.
English History.
a.
the rent or income from leased property.
b.
the condition of being leased at a fixed rent; possession under lease; a lease.
9.
Also called farm team, farm club. Chiefly Baseball. a team in a minor league that is owned by or affiliated with a major-league team, for training or keeping players until ready or needed.
10.
Obsolete. a fixed yearly amount payable in the form of rent, taxes, or the like.
verb (used with object)
11.
to cultivate (land).
12.
to take the proceeds or profits of (a tax, undertaking, etc.) on paying a fixed sum.
13.
to let or lease (taxes, revenues, an enterprise, etc.) to another for a fixed sum or a percentage (often followed by out ).
14.
to let or lease the labor or services of (a person) for hire.
15.
to contract for the maintenance of (a person, institution, etc.): a county that farms its poor.
00:10
Farm out
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
verb (used without object)
Verb phrases 16.
to cultivate the soil; operate a farm.
17.
Idioms farm out,
a.
to assign (work, privileges, or the like) to another by financial agreement; subcontract; lease: The busy shipyard farmed out two construction jobs to a smaller yard.
b.
to assign the care of (a child or dependent person) to another: She farms her elderly aunt out to a retired nurse during the workweek.
c.
Chiefly Baseball. to assign (a player) to a farm.
d.
to exhaust (farmland) by overcropping.
e.
to drill (oil or gas wells), especially by subcontract on land owned or leased by another.
18.
buy the farm, Slang. to die or be killed.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English ferme lease, rented land, rent < Anglo-French, Old French < Vulgar Latin *ferma, derivative of *fermāre, for Latin firmāre to make firm, confirm. See firm1
1250–1300; Middle English ferme lease, rented land, rent < Anglo-French, Old French < Vulgar Latin *ferma, derivative of *fermāre, for Latin firmāre to make firm, confirm. See firm1
Related forms
farm·a·ble, adjective
min·i·farm, noun
non·farm, adjective
pro·farm, adjective
su·per·farm, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To farm out
Collins
World English Dictionary
farm (fɑːm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a. a tract of land, usually with house and buildings, cultivated as a unit or used to rear livestock |
| b. (as modifier): farm produce | |
| c. (in combination): farmland | |
| 2. | a unit of land or water devoted to the growing or rearing of some particular type of vegetable, fruit, animal, or fish: a fish farm |
| 3. | an installation for storage |
| 4. | a district of which one or more taxes are leased |
| 5. | history |
| a. a fixed sum paid by an individual or group for the right of collecting and retaining taxes, rents, etc | |
| b. a fixed sum paid regularly by a town, county, etc, in lieu of taxes | |
| c. the leasing of a source of revenue to an individual or group | |
| d. a fixed tax, rent, etc, paid regularly | |
| —vb | |
| 6. | (tr) |
| a. to cultivate (land) | |
| b. to rear (stock, etc) on a farm | |
| 7. | (intr) to engage in agricultural work, esp as a way of life |
| 8. | (tr) to look after a child for a fixed sum |
| 9. | a. to collect the moneys due and retain the profits from (a tax district, business, etc) for a specified period on payment of a sum or sums |
| b. to operate (a franchise) under similar conditions | |
| [C13: from Old French ferme rented land, ultimately from Latin firmāre to settle] | |
| 'farmable | |
| —adj | |
| farm out | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to send (work) to be done by another person, firm, etc; subcontract |
| 2. | to put (a child, etc) into the care of a private individual; foster |
| 3. | to lease to another for a rent or fee the right to operate (a business for profit, land, etc) or the right to collect (taxes) |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
farm
c.1300, from O.Fr. ferme "lease," from M.L. firma "fixed payment," from L. firmare "to fix, settle, confirm, strengthen," from firmus "firm" (see firm (adj.)). Sense of "tract of leased land" is first recorded early 14c.; that of "cultivated land" (leased or not) is 1520s.
The verm, in its agricultural sense, is 1719. Original sense is retained in to farm out. Phrase buy the farm "die in battle," is at least from World War II, perhaps a cynical reference to the draftee's dream of getting out of the war and going home, in many cases to a peaceful farmstead. But fetch the farm is prisoner slang from at least 1879 for "get sent to the infirmary," with reference to the better diet and lighter duties there.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Easton
Bible Dictionary
Farm definition
(Matt. 22:5). Every Hebrew had a certain portion of land assigned to him as a possession (Num. 26:33-56). In Egypt the lands all belonged to the king, and the husbandmen were obliged to give him a fifth part of the produce; so in Palestine Jehovah was the sole possessor of the soil, and the people held it by direct tenure from him. By the enactment of Moses, the Hebrews paid a tithe of the produce to Jehovah, which was assigned to the priesthood. Military service when required was also to be rendered by every Hebrew at his own expense. The occuptaion of a husbandman was held in high honour (1 Sam. 11:5-7; 1 Kings 19:19; 2 Chr. 26:10). (See LAND LAWS Ø(n/a); TITHE.)
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
farm out
Assign something to an outsider; subcontract something. For example, The contractor was so busy he had to farm out two jobs to a colleague, or When their mother was hospitalized, the children had to be farmed out to the nearest relatives. This term originally referred to letting or leasing land. Today it usually refers to subcontracting work or the care of a dependent to another. In baseball it means "to assign a player to a lesser (farm) league," as opposed to a big league. [Mid-1600s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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