grazed

Grazed is the past tense and past participle of the verb graze. It describes both a feeding action and the condition of a landscape that has been used by grazing animals.

In agriculture and husbandry, to graze means livestock feed on grasses and forage in pastures or fields. The term is used to distinguish grazing from other feeding methods such as hay feeding or silage. Pastures may be described as grazed when plants have been eaten down by herbivores, and the pattern of grazing can influence plant composition, regrowth, and soil health. Management approaches such as rotational or prescribed grazing aim to balance forage availability with animal demand, sometimes improving pasture productivity and biodiversity when implemented carefully.

Grazed can also describe a wound or surface injury. If the skin is grazed, it has been scraped or lightly abraded, often with minor bleeding. In this sense, the term is common in medical and everyday language, as in "a grazed knee" or "the fence grazed his arm."

In ecology and land management, "grazed" describes ecosystems or landscapes exposed to grazing pressure. Grazing affects vegetation structure, plant species, soil compaction, and nutrient cycling. Excessive or poorly managed grazing can lead to overgrazing, erosion, and biodiversity loss, while well-managed grazing can help maintain open habitats and stimulate new growth.