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swidden

Pronunciation: /ˈswɪd(ə)n/
Definition of swidden

noun

  • an area of land cleared for cultivation by slashing and burning vegetation: paddy rice and rice grown in swiddens in hilly areas provides subsistence for the majority of the population [mass noun]:the forest had been reduced to swidden
  • [mass noun] the method of clearing land by slashing and burning vegetation:the practice of swidden

verb

[with object]
  • clear (land) by slashing and burning vegetation: (as noun swiddening)most horticulture in New Zealand was essentially swiddening

Origin:

late 18th century (as a verb, originally dialect): variant of dialect swithen 'to burn'

swidden in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of swidden in the US English dictionary

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