farm

Etymology 1

From Middle English ferme, farme (“rent, revenue, produce, factor, stewardship, meal, feast”), influenced by Anglo-Norman ferme (“rent, lease, farm”), from Medieval Latin ferma, firma. Both from Old English feorm, fearm, farm (“provision, food, supplies, provisions supplied by a tenant or vassal to his lord, rent, possessions, stores, feast, entertainment, haven”), from Proto-Germanic *fermō (“means of living, subsistence”), from Proto-Germanic *ferhwō, *ferhuz (“life force, body, being”), from Proto-Indo-European *perkʷ- (“life, force, strength, tree”). Cognate with Scots ferm (“rent, farm”). Related also to Old English feorh (“life, spirit”), Old High German ferah (“life, body, being”), Icelandic fjör (“life, vitality, vigour, animation”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍈𐌿𐍃 (fairƕus, “the world”). Compare also Old English feormehām (“farm”), feormere (“purveyor, grocer”). Old English feorm is the origin of Medieval Latin ferma, firma (“farm", also "feast”) (whence also Old French ferme, Occitan ferma), instead of the historically assumed derivation from unrelated Latin firma (“firm, solid”), which shares the same form. The sense of "rent, fixed payment", which was already present in the Old English word, may have been further strengthened due to resemblance to Latin firmitas (“security, surety”). Additionally, Old French ferme continued to shape the development of the English word throughout the Middle English period.

noun

1. A place where agricultural and similar activities take place, especially the growing of crops or the raising of livestock.
2. A tract of land held on lease for the purpose of cultivation.
3. (often in combination) A location used for an industrial purpose, having many similar structures.
   antenna farm; fuel farm; solar farm; wind farm
   The skies are threatening to pour on the Apple solar farm but as the woman in-charge of the company’s environmental initiatives points out: the panels are still putting out some power. Apple is still greening its act. 2014-07-25, Suzanne Goldenberg, “Apple eyes solar to power the cloud and iPhone 6 sapphire manufacturing”, in The Guardian
4. (computing) A group of coordinated servers.
   a render farm
   a server farm
5. (obsolete) Food; provisions; a meal.
6. (obsolete) A banquet; feast.
7. (obsolete) A fixed yearly amount (food, provisions, money, etc.) payable as rent or tax.
   If a man be bounden unto 1.s. in 100.l.£ to grant unto him the rent and farme of such a Mill. 1642, J. Perkins, transl., Profitable Bk. (new ed.) xi. §751. 329
   All..Tythings shall stand at the old Farm, without any Increase. 1700, J. Tyrrell, Gen. Hist. Eng. II. 814
   The most usual and customary feorm or rent..must be reserved yearly on such lease. 1767, W. Blackstone, Comm. Laws Eng. II. 320
8. (historical) A fixed yearly sum accepted from a person as a composition for taxes or other moneys which he is empowered to collect; also, a fixed charge imposed on a town, county, etc., in respect of a tax or taxes to be collected within its limits.
   He [the Sheriff] paid into the Exchequer the fixed yearly sum which formed the farm of the shire. 1876, E. A. Freeman, Hist. Norman Conquest V. xxiv. 439
9. (historical) The letting-out of public revenue to a ‘farmer’; the privilege of farming a tax or taxes.
   The first farm of postal income was made in 1672. 1885, Edwards in Encycl. Brit. XIX. 580
10. The body of farmers of public revenues.
    They despair of a suppression of the Farm. 1786, T. Jefferson, Writings (1859) I. 568
11. The condition of being let at a fixed rent; lease; a lease.
    It is a great willfullnes in any such Land-lord to refuse to make any longer farmes unto their Tennants. a1599, Spenser, View State Ireland in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) 58
    Thence the Leases so made were called Feormes or Farmes, which word signifieth Victuals. 1647, N. Bacon, Hist. Disc. Govt. 75
    The words demise, lease, and to farm let, are the proper ones to constitute a lease. 1818, W. Cruise, Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. (ed. 2) IV. 68
12. (historical) A baby farm.

Etymology 2

From Middle English fermen, from Anglo-Norman fermer (“to let out for a fixed payment, lease, rent”) ultimately from the same Old English source as Etymology 1. Compare Old English feormian (“to feed, supply with food, sustain”).

verb

1. (intransitive) To work on a farm, especially in the growing and harvesting of crops.
2. (transitive) To devote (land) to farming.
3. (transitive) To grow (a particular crop).
4. To give up to another, as an estate, a business, the revenue, etc., on condition of receiving in return a percentage of what it yields; to farm out.
   to farm the taxes
   December 1, 1783, Edmund Burke, Speech on Mr. Fox's East-India Bill to farm their subjects and their duties toward these
5. (obsolete, transitive) To lease or let for an equivalent, e.g. land for a rent; to yield the use of to proceeds.
6. (obsolete, transitive) To take at a certain rent or rate.
   In Paris it is stated that nearly half the birth-rate of the city finds its way to nurses who farm babies in the suburbs. 1886, The Fortnightly, volume 46, page 530
7. (video games, chiefly online gaming) To engage in grinding (repetitive activity) in a particular area or against specific enemies for a particular drop or item.
   When you hit a black pudding with an iron weapon that does at least one point of damage there is a good chance it will divide into two black puddings of the same size (but half the hit points IIRC). […] When eaten black puddings confer several intrinsics so AC [armor class] is not the only potential benefit. […] Since black puddings are formidible monsters for an inexperienced character, farming is also a good way to die. 2004, Doug Freyburger, “Pudding Farming Requires Care”, in rec.games.roguelike.nethack (Usenet)
   The practice of gold farming is controversial within gaming communities and violates the end user licensing agreements[…] 2010, Robert Alan Brookey, Hollywood Gamers, page 130

Etymology 3

table From Middle English fermen, from Old English feormian (“to clean, cleanse”), from Proto-West Germanic *furbēn (“to clean, polish, buff”). Doublet of furbish.

verb

1. (UK, dialectal) To cleanse; clean out; put in order; empty; empty out
   Farm out the stable and pigsty.