plot of ground
1
2.3
- noun
- UK
- Mr Thorwald could scarcely put his wife's body in a plot of ground about one foot square.
- a small plot of ground
Examples
-
The government gave the Trail of Tears survivors a reservation in Montana, a sad plot of ground with government housing and subsidies.
Fiction book (2001) -
The Israelis took that small plot of ground in the middle of an overworked land, surrounded by people living a backward culture that's barely post-medieval, and created a veritable oasis.
Blog text (19) -
As each landed, the men flying out of the belly took possession of another small plot of ground.
Fiction book (2000) -
It was enough to earn her and a thousand others their own plot of ground this morning.
Fiction book (1991) -
In regard to Tlingit territory, in 1867, Russia really sold nothing apart from a few log-enclosed plots of ground.
Academic text (2009) -
The observatory is on a one-acre plot of ground tucked between the Knesset and the Supreme Court.
Academic text (2001) -
To Wyuka Cemetery, where we purchased a tiny plot of ground on the eastern slope of a grassy mound.
Academic text (1990) -
All day Monday, he paced the length and breadth of the porch like a man measuring off the plot of ground for a garden or a grave.
Fiction book (1990) -
He transformed his plot of ground into a beautiful vegetable garden filled with tomatoes and peppers.
-
The community center is built on a small plot of ground where children play and enjoy outdoor activities.
Synonyms
744
3.9
A piece of land with fixed boundaries for building
178
2.7
A small area that looks different from the area around it, like a spot of color
71
1.9
A small piece of land used to grow plants or vegetables
48
1.0
A plot of ground where flowers or other plants grow
26
1.8
A small area of land that someone owns or uses
12
3.0
A small piece of ground for growing plants or building on
8
2.7
A piece of land used for a specific purpose like building or farming
6
2.9
A piece of land sold or owned as one unit
3
2.8
An area of land used for something, like a garden or park
2
2.0
A small area in a garden where people grow vegetables
2
3.7
A small piece of land that people rent to grow vegetables or flowers
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small area of land' is directly and transparently built from the constituents: 'plot' already denotes a marked piece of ground and 'ground' denotes the earth/soil, with 'of' functioning as a linking preposition. This compositional structure is straightforward and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Plot of ground comes from the simple image of a small marked piece of land: people would mark a plot on the ground with sticks or paths to grow vegetables or flowers. So it now means 'a small area of land' often used for growing plants.