grafting

US: (graf′ting, gräf′-)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

graft•ing  (graf′ting, gräf′-), n. [Surg.]

1. Surgery graft¹ (def. 2).

• graft¹ + -ing¹ 1475–85

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

graft¹ /græft/   n. [countable]

1. Botany a bud or small shoot of a plant placed into a groove, slit, or the like in a stem or trunk of another plant in which it continues to grow.
2. Surgery a portion of living tissue removed during a medical operation from one part of an individual to another part, or from one individual to another individual.

v. [~ + object]

3. Botany to insert (a graft) into a tree or other plant;
   insert a shoot of (one plant) into another plant.
4. Surgery to transplant (a portion of living tissue) as a graft.

graft•er, n. [countable]

graft² /græft/   n. [uncountable]

1. the obtaining of money or advantage by dishonest or unfair means, esp. through the abuse of one's position or influence, as in politics.
2. the money or advantage so acquired.

graft•er, n. [countable] ]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

graft¹  (graft, gräft), n. 

1. Botany [Hort.]
   • a bud, shoot, or scion of a plant inserted in a groove, slit, or the like in a stem or stock of another plant in which it continues to grow.
   • the plant resulting from such an operation;
     the united stock and scion.
   • the place where the scion is inserted.
2. Surgery a portion of living tissue surgically transplanted from one part of an individual to another, or from one individual to another, for its adhesion and growth.
3. an act of grafting.

v.t. 

4. Botany to insert (a graft) into a tree or other plant;
   insert a scion of (one plant) into another plant.
5. Botany to cause (a plant) to reproduce through grafting.
6. Surgery to transplant (a portion of living tissue, as of skin or bone) as a graft.
7. to attach as if by grafting:
   an absurdity grafted onto an otherwise coherent body of thought.
8. Nautical, Naval Terms to cover (a rope) with a weaving of rope yarn.

v.i. 

9. to insert scions from one plant into another.
10. to become grafted.

• Greek grapheion, derivative of gráphein to write; so called from the resemblance of the point of a (cleft) graft to a stylus
• Late Latin graphium hunting knife (Latin: stylus)
• Old French graife, greffe, graffe
• earlier graff, Middle English graffe, craffe 1350–1400

graft′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 10. implant, transplant, plant, join, adhere.

graft²  (graft, gräft), n. 

1. the acquisition of money, gain, or advantage by dishonest, unfair, or illegal means, esp. through the abuse of one's position or influence in politics, business, etc.
2. a particular instance, method, or means of thus acquiring gain or advantage.
3. the gain or advantage acquired.
4. British Terms work;
   labor.

v.t. 

5. to obtain by graft.

v.i. 

6. to practice graft.

• perh. special use of graft¹ 1855–60

graft′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

graft / ɡrɑːft/ noun

1. a piece of plant tissue (the scion), normally a stem, that is made to unite with an established plant (the stock), which supports and nourishes it
2. the plant resulting from the union of scion and stock
3. the point of union between the scion and the stock
4. a piece of tissue or an organ transplanted from a donor or from the patient's own body to an area of the body in need of the tissue
5. the act of joining one thing to another by or as if by grafting

verb

1. to induce (a plant or part of a plant) to unite with another part or (of a plant or part of a plant) to unite in this way
2. to produce (fruit, flowers, etc) by this means or (of fruit, flowers, etc) to grow by this means
3. to transplant (tissue) or (of tissue) to be transplanted
4. to attach or incorporate or become attached or incorporated: to graft a happy ending onto a sad tale

Etymology: 15th Century: from Old French graffe, from Medieval Latin graphium, from Latin: stylus, from Greek grapheion, from graphein to write

ˈgrafting noun

graft / ɡrɑːft/ noun

work (esp in the phrase hard graft)

the acquisition of money, power, etc, by dishonest or unfair means, esp by taking advantage of a position of trust

something gained in this way, such as profit from government business

a payment made to a person profiting by such a practice

verb

1. (intransitive) to work
2. to acquire by or practise graft

Etymology: 19th Century: of uncertain origin

ˈgrafter noun