browse

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

browse, n. [OF. brost, broust, sprout, shoot, F. brout browse, browsewood, prob. fr. OHG. burst, G. borste, bristle; cf. also Armor. brousta to browse. See Bristle, n., Brush, n.].

 The tender branches or twigs of trees and shrubs, fit for the food of cattle and other animals; green food.  Spenser.  [1913 Webster]
"Sheep, goats, and oxen, and the nobler steed,
On browse, and corn, and flowery meadows feed."  [1913 Webster]

browse, v. t. [For broust, OF. brouster, bruster, F. brouter. See Browse, n., and cf. Brut.].

•  To eat or nibble off, as the tender branches of trees, shrubs, etc.; -- said of cattle, sheep, deer, and some other animals.  [1913 Webster]

  "Yes, like the stag, when snow the plasture sheets,
  The barks of trees thou browsedst."  [1913 Webster]
•  To feed on, as pasture; to pasture on; to graze.  [1913 Webster]

  "Fields . . . browsed by deep-uddered kine."  [1913 Webster]
•  To look casually through (a book, books, or a set of documents), reading those parts which arouse one's interest. Contrasted with scan, in which one typically is searching for something specific.  [PJC]
•  To look at a series of electronic documents on a computer screen by means of a browser{2}.  [PJC]

browse, v. i. 

•  To feed on the tender branches or shoots of shrubs or trees, as do cattle, sheep, and deer.  [1913 Webster]
•  To pasture; to feed; to nibble; to graze.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  To look casually through a book, books, or a set of documents, reading those parts which arouse one's interest.  [PJC]
•  To search through a group of items to find something, not previously specified, which may be of interest.  [PJC]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

browse, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. & tr. read desultorily.
2 intr. (often foll. by on) feed (on leaves, twigs, or scanty vegetation).
3 tr. crop and eat.
--n.
1 twigs, young shoots, etc., as fodder for cattle.
2 an act of browsing.

Derivative

browser n.

Etymology

(n.) f. earlier brouse f. OF brost young shoot, prob. f. Gmc; (v.) f. F broster

THESAURUS

browse

batten upon, crop, dip into, fatten on, fatten upon, feast on, feast upon, feed on, flip through, glance at, glance over, glance through, go marketing, go over, go shopping, graze, live on, look over, look through, market, pasture on, peruse, prey on, run over, run through, scan, shop, skim, thumb over, thumb through, window-shop

ROGET THESAURUS

browse

Food

VB eat, feed, fare, devour, swallow, take, gulp, bolt, snap, fall to, despatch, dispatch, discuss, take down, get down, gulp down, lay in, tuck in, lick, pick, peck, gormandize, bite, champ, munch, cranch, craunch, crunch, chew, masticate, nibble, gnaw, mumble, live on, feed upon, batten upon, fatten upon, feast upon, browse, graze, crop, regale, carouse, eat heartily, do justice to, play a good knife and fork, banquet, break bread, break one's fast, breakfast, lunch, dine, take tea, sup, drink in, drink up, drink one's fill, quaff, sip, sup, suck, suck up, lap, swig, swill, chugalug, tipple, empty one's glass, drain the cup, toss off, toss one's glass, wash down, crack a bottle, wet one's whistle, purvey.