graft
graft Lexical Profile
graft Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A piece of living tissue that is surgically transplanted from one part of the body or from one individual to another.
"The burn victim required a skin graft on his forearm to aid healing."
North American Practices, especially bribery and extortion, used to secure illicit gains in politics or business.
"The investigative journalist exposed widespread graft within the municipal administration."
A shoot or twig inserted into a slit on the trunk or stem of a living plant, from which it receives sap and continues to grow.
"The orchardist carefully bound the apple graft to the hardy rootstock."
British Hard, continuous physical or mental work.
"Building the stone wall from scratch took weeks of sheer hard graft."
• verb
To insert a shoot or twig as a graft into another living plant so that they grow together.
"Horticulturists often graft delicate rose varieties onto resilient wild rootstocks."
To transplant a piece of living tissue surgically onto another part of the body or onto another organism.
"Surgeons were able to graft healthy skin over the damaged tissue."
To combine or integrate an idea, system, or element with another, sometimes incongruously.
"The architect attempted to graft modern glass extensions onto the historic brick building."
British To work very hard and continuously.
"She had to graft for years in small regional theaters before landing her first major role."
Word Nuance & Usage
In American English, the non-botanical sense of 'graft' refers to political corruption and bribery, whereas in British and Australian informal usage it means hard physical work.
• Rhymes for graft
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The botanical and medical sense derives from Old French 'grafe' (a stylus or scion), from Latin 'graphium' and Ancient Greek 'grapheion' (stylus), chosen because the tapered end of a plant cutting resembles a writing stylus. The British sense of 'hard work' likely arose from the dialectal meaning of digging a ditch (related to 'grave').