a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

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noun

Horticulture.

a bud, shoot, or scion of a plant inserted in a groove, slit, or the like in a stem or stock of another plant in which it continues to grow.

the plant resulting from such an operation; the united stock and scion.

the place where the scion is inserted.

Surgery. a portion of living tissue surgically transplanted from one part of an individual to another, or from one individual to another, for its adhesion and growth.

an act of grafting.

verb (used with object)

to insert (a graft) into a tree or other plant; insert a scion of (one plant) into another plant.

to cause (a plant) to reproduce through grafting.

Surgery. to transplant (a portion of living tissue, as of skin or bone) as a graft.

to attach as if by grafting: an absurdity grafted onto an otherwise coherent body of thought.

Nautical. to cover (a rope) with a weaving of rope yarn.

verb (used without object)

to insert scions from one plant into another.

10.

to become grafted.

Origin:
1350–1400; earlier graff, Middle English graffe, craffe < Old French graife, greffe, graffe < Late Latin graphium hunting knife (Latin: stylus) < Greek grapheion, derivative of gráphein to write; so called from the resemblance of the point of a (cleft) graft to a stylus

Related forms

graft·er, noun

Synonyms
10. implant, transplant, plant, join, adhere.

noun

the acquisition of money, gain, or advantage by dishonest, unfair, or illegal means, especially through the abuse of one's position or influence in politics, business, etc.

a particular instance, method, or means of thus acquiring gain or advantage.

the gain or advantage acquired.

British Slang. work; labor.

verb (used with object)

to obtain by graft.

verb (used without object)

to practice graft.

Origin:
1855–60; perhaps special use of graft¹

Related forms

graft·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

graft¹ (ɡrɑːft)

—n
1.	horticulture
	a. a piece of plant tissue (the scion), normally a stem, that is made to unite with an established plant (the stock), which supports and nourishes it
	b. the plant resulting from the union of scion and stock
	c. the point of union between the scion and the stock
2.	surgery a piece of tissue or an organ transplanted from a donor or from the patient's own body to an area of the body in need of the tissue
3.	the act of joining one thing to another by or as if by grafting

—vb
4.	horticulture
	a. to induce (a plant or part of a plant) to unite with another part or (of a plant or part of a plant) to unite in this way
	b. to produce (fruit, flowers, etc) by this means or (of fruit, flowers, etc) to grow by this means
5.	to transplant (tissue) or (of tissue) to be transplanted
6.	to attach or incorporate or become attached or incorporated: to graft a happy ending onto a sad tale

[C15: from Old French graffe, from Medieval Latin graphium, from Latin: stylus, from Greek grapheion, from graphein to write]

'grafter¹

—n

'grafting¹

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

graft

"corruption," 1859 (as a verb), Amer.Eng., perhaps from graft (1) via Brit. slang sense of "one's occupation" (1853), which seems to be from the word's original sense of "digging" (see graft (1)).

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

graft ¹ (grāft)
v. graft·ed, graft·ing, grafts
To transplant or implant tissue surgically into a body part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect. n.

Material, especially living tissue or an organ, surgically attached to or inserted into a body part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect.
The procedure of implanting or transplanting such material.
The configuration or condition resulting from such a procedure.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

graft

(grāft) Pronunciation Key

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Noun

A shoot or bud of one plant that is inserted into or joined to the stem, branch, or root of another plant so that the two grow together as a single plant. Grafts are used to strengthen or repair plants, create dwarf trees, produce seedless fruit, and increase fruit yields without requiring plants to mature from seeds.
A piece of body tissue that is surgically removed and then transplanted or implanted to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect. See also allograft , autograft.and xenograft.

Verb

To join a graft to another plant.
To transplant or implant a graft.

American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

graft definition

In politics, the illegal acceptance of bribes by government officials.

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