hay

The word “hay” means grass that has been cut and dried, used as feed for animals. In plain terms, dried grass used to feed livestock, or informally, weed.

“Hay” is pronounced hay (/heɪ/ in IPA).

Here is “hay” used in a sentence: “The farmer stacked bales of hay in the barn before winter.”

Depending on how it is used, “hay” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “hay” comes from Old English. From Old English hieg/hig, related to the verb "hew" (to cut down) — hay is literally "the cut stuff.".

“Hay” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Hay” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: grass that has been cut and dried, used as feed for animals.

Hay is grass or legumes cut and dried while still green, and is used as nutritious animal feed. Straw is the dried, hollow stalks left after grain is harvested, and is used mainly for animal bedding rather than food.

Both are preserved forage for livestock, but hay is grass dried to a low moisture content, while silage is stored moist and preserved by fermentation. Hay is dry and can be baled, whereas silage is wet and usually kept in sealed conditions.

Hay appears in phrases such as 'a bale of hay,' 'hay fever,' 'hit the hay' (meaning to go to bed), and 'make hay.' Despite its name, 'hay fever' is an allergic reaction to pollen rather than to hay itself.