Noah Webster
Turf
TURF, noun
1. That upper stratum of earth and vegetable mold, which is filled with the roots of grass and other small plants, so as to adhere and form a kind of mat. This is otherwise called sward and sod.
2. Peat; a peculiar kind of blackish, fibrous, vegetable, earthy substance, used as fuel. [Dryden and Addison wrote turfs, in the plural. But when turf or peat is cut into small pieces, the practice now is to call them turves.]
3. Race-ground; or horse-racing.
The honors of the turf are all our own.
TURF, verb transitive To cover with turf or sod; as, to turf a bank or the border of a terrace.
TURF'-COVERED, adjective Covered with turf
TURF'-DRAIN, noun A drain filled with turf or peat.