croft

From Middle English croft, from Old English croft (“a small enclosed field; croft”), from Proto-Germanic *kruftaz (“a hill; curve”), from Proto-Indo-European *grewb- (“to bend; crook; curve; arch”). Cognate with Scots croft, craft (“croft”), Middle Dutch kroft, krocht, crocht (“high and dry land; a field on the downs”), Middle Low German kroch (“enclosed piece of farmland or pasture”).

• (General American) IPA^(key): /kɹɔft/, enPR: krôft
• (cot–caught merger, Canada) IPA^(key): /kɹɑft/, enPR: krŏft
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kɹɒft/, enPR: krŏft
• Rhymes: -ɒft

croft (plural crofts)

1. A fenced piece of land, especially in Scotland, usually small and arable and used for small-scale food production and usually with a crofter's dwelling thereon.
   • 1530: Sir John Campbell of Glenurchy (in a lease to his "weil belouit" servant John M'Conoquhy V'Gregour)

     ...to haue set and for malis and service...the four markland of Kincrakin...with the croft of Polgreyich and the croft that Ewin M'Ewin was wount to haue...

   • 1819, Keats, To Autumn:

     Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

     The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;

2. (archaic) A carafe.

• (fenced piece of land): quillet

• crofter
• crofting
• undercroft

• forc't