# field

## English

### Etymology

From Middle English field, feeld, feld, from Old English feld (field; open or cultivated land, plain; battlefield), from Proto-Germanic *felþuz, *felþaz, *felþą (field), from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- (field, plain). Cognate with Scots feld, feild (field), North Frisian fjild (field), West Frisian fjild (field), Dutch veld (field), German Feld (field), Swedish fält (field). Related also to Old English folde (earth, land, territory), Old English folm (palm of the hand). More at fold.

### Pronunciation

• IPA(key): /fiːld/
•  Audio (US) Sorry, your browser either has JavaScript disabled or does not have any supported player. You can download the clip or download a player to play the clip in your browser. (file)
• Rhymes: -iːld

### Noun

field (plural fields)

1. ​A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns; open country.
There are several species of wild flowers growing in this field.
2. ​A wide, open space that is usually used to grow crops or to hold farm animals.
There were some cows grazing in a field.
A crop circle was made in a corn field.
• Byron
fields which promise corn and wine
3. The open country near or belonging to a city -- usually used in plural.
4. ​A physical phenomenon, such as force, potential, or fluid velocity, that pervades a region.
magnetic field
5. ​A course of study or domain of knowledge or practice.
• 2013 May 10, Audrey Garric, “Urban canopies let nature bloom”, The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 22, page 30:
As towns continue to grow, replanting vegetation has become a form of urban utopia and green roofs are spreading fast. Last year 1m square metres of plant-covered roofing was built in France, as much as in the US, and 10 times more than in Germany, the pioneer in this field.
He was an expert in the field of Chinese history.
6. An area that can be seen at a given time.
7. ​A place where a battle is fought; a battlefield.
• Shakespeare
this glorious and well-foughten field
• Milton
What though the field be lost?
8. ​An area reserved for playing a game.
soccer field
Substitutes are only allowed onto the field after their boots are checked.
9. A realm of practical, direct, or natural operation, contrasting with an office, classroom, or laboratory.
The design needs to be field-tested before we commit to manufacture.
Field work traditionally distinguishes true archaeologists from armchair archaeologists.
He needs some time in the field before his judgment can be trusted.
10. (algebra) A commutative ring with identity for which every nonzero element has a multiplicative inverse.
The set of rational numbers, $\mathbb{Q}$, is the prototypical field.
11. (geology) A region containing a particular mineral.
oil field; gold field
12. (heraldry) The background of the shield
13. (computing) An area of memory or storage reserved for a particular value.
14. A component of a database record in which a single unit of information is stored.
15. A physical or virtual location for the input of information in the form of characters.
The form has fields for each element of the customer's home address and ship-to address.
16. () The team in a match that throws the ball and tries to catch it when it is hit by the other team (the bat).
17. (baseball) The outfield.
18. An unrestricted or favourable opportunity for action, operation, or achievement.
• Macaulay
afforded a clear field for moral experiments
19. All of the competitors in any outdoor contest or trial, or all except the favourites in the betting.
This racehorse is the strongest in a weak field.

#### Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

#### Usage notes

In the mathematical sense, some languages, such as French, use a term that literally means "body". This denotes a division ring or skew field, not necessarily commutative. If it is clear from context that the quaternions and similar division rings are irrelevant, or that all division rings being considered are finite and therefore fields, this difference is ignored.

### Verb

field (third-person singular simple present fields, present participle fielding, simple past and past participle fielded)

1. () To intercept or catch (a ball) and play it.
2. (baseball, softball, cricket, and other batting sports) To be the team catching and throwing the ball, as opposed to hitting it.
The blue team are fielding first, while the reds are batting.
3. () To place a team in (a game).
• 2012 August 23, Alasdair Lamont, “Hearts 0-1 Liverpool”, BBC Sport:
On balance, it was harsh on Hearts, who had given as good as they got against their more-fancied opponents, who, despite not being at full strength, fielded a multi-million pound team.
The away team fielded two new players and the second-choice goalkeeper.
She will field questions immediately after her presentation.
5. This word needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text `{{rfdef}}`.
They fielded a fearsome army.

#### Antonyms

• (be the team throwing and catching the ball): bat

#### Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.