ground

adj : broken or pounded into small fragments; used of e.g. ore or

stone; "paved with crushed bluestone"; "ground glass is

used as an abrasive" [syn: {crushed}]

n 1: the solid part of the earth's surface; "the plane turned

away from the sea and moved back over land"; "the earth

shook for several minutes"; "he dropped the logs on the

ground" [syn: {land}, {dry land}, {earth}, {solid ground},

{terra firma}]

2: a rational motive for a belief or action; "the reason that

war was declared"; "the grounds for their declaration"

[syn: {reason}]

3: the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the

surface of the land surface; "they dug into the earth

outside the church" [syn: {earth}]

4: a relation that provides the foundation for something; "they

were on a friendly footing" or "he worked on an interim

basis" [syn: {footing}, {basis}]

5: a position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in

battle); "they gained ground step by step"; "they fought

to regain the lost ground"

6: the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in

the foreground; "he posed her against a background of

rolling hillls" [syn: {background}]

7: what plants grow in (especially with reference to its

quality or use); "the land had never been plowed"; "good

agricultural soil" [syn: {land}, {soil}]

8: a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the

figure on which attention is focused [ant: {figure}]

9: a connection between an electrical device and the earth

(which is a zero voltage) [syn: {earth}]

10: (art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the

paint for a painting

11: the first coat of paint applied to a surface [syn: {flat

coat}, {primer}, {priming coat}, {undercoat}]

v 1: fix firmly and stably; "anchor the lamppost in concrete"

[syn: {anchor}]

2: confine or restrict to the ground; "After the accident, they

grounded the plane and the pilot"

3: place or out on the ground

4: instruct someone in the fundamentals of a subject

5: bring to the ground, as of vessels [syn: {run aground}]

6: hit or reach the ground [syn: {run aground}]

7: cover with a primer; apply a primer to [syn: {prime}, {undercoat}]

8: connect to a ground, of electrical connections for safety

reasons

9: use as a basis for; found on; "base a claim on some

observation" [syn: {establish}, {base}, {found}]