grasen

grasen is a German verb meaning to graze, referring to animals feeding on grasses in pasture or meadow environments. It is used in agricultural, ecological, and rural contexts to describe how livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats obtain their food by grazing rather than by haying or supplementary feeding. Grazing typically occurs on pastures and can be influenced by factors such as stocking density, forage availability, season, and the composition of the plant community.

Linguistically, grasen is derived from the noun Gras (grass) and is part of the standard German lexicon for describing pasture-based feeding. It is distinguished from other eating verbs such as fressen, which is used for animals consuming food more generally and can carry different connotations depending on context. In everyday use, grasen emphasizes the grazing behavior of herbivores on natural or managed grassland.

In farming practice, grazing is a key component of pasture management and is often discussed in relation to rotational grazing, sustainable land use, and grassland conservation. The term appears in agricultural writing, extension resources, and rural journalism and is widely understood in German-speaking regions as a basic description of how livestock interact with pastures.

See also: Grazing, Pasture, Pastoralism, Grazing systems.