noun

die Wiese, -n

meadow

Ein Stück Land, das mit Gras und oft auch mit Blumen bewachsen ist und meist offen und grün aussieht.

Definition & meaning

A Wiese is a piece of land covered with grass and often wildflowers, which is not used as a lawn or for cultivation (like a field). It is typically used for grazing livestock or for making hay.

Meadow/Pasture: An area of grassland, often found in nature or on a farm.
Sports/Colloquial: In informal German, Wiese can sometimes refer to a football pitch or a generic open area of grass where people spend their leisure time.

Grammar & Word origin

Grammar: It is a feminine noun (die Wiese). The plural form is die Wiesen.
Word origin: The word stems from the Old High German wisa, which relates to the Germanic wes-, meaning "to become green" or "to sprout." It shares the same linguistic root as the English word "wise" in a very distant sense of "growth/way," but directly relates to the concept of a "green place."

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

Weide (often specifically referring to pasture for grazing animals)
Grasland (grassland)
Flur (a more poetic or agricultural term for open fields/land)
Rasen (lawn - though technically distinct, they are often confused in casual speech)