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browse

browse

 
 
pronunciation:
braUz
features:
Word Combinations (verb), Word History, Word Explorer
part of speech: verb
inflections: browses, browsing, browsed
definition 1: to examine things in a slow and casual way.
I'm just browsing, not shopping.
synonyms:
poke around
similar words:
shop, window-shop
definition 2: to graze or feed on growing plants.
The cows browsed in the field all day.
synonyms:
graze
similar words:
eat, feed, nibble
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derivation: browser (n.)
Word History
Browse comes from a French word that means "a bud or sprout." In the 1400s, the English word "browse" meant "to graze." Grazing animals tend to nibble at the young, more tender parts of plants. Browse was first used to mean "look through a book casually or slowly" in the 1800s. When one browses through a book, it is as though one is slowly eating or nibbling lightly.
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See
  book, plant