Definition: Young shoots and twigs.
Alright class, settle down now, let’s take a look!
That dictionary definition – “young shoots and twigs” – is a little tricky, isn’t it? It’s true that young plants
do
grow in those ways. But "browse" has a different meaning altogether, you see!
Think about this: when deer or rabbits wander through the forest, nibbling on leaves and branches – they are
browsing
, isn't that right? They’re selecting what they want to eat from the plants around them.
Browse
also means to look through something casually, like you might do online! If you’re scrolling through pictures on a website, or reading articles on a news site - you are
browsing
. You're not really
buying
anything, just taking a peek and seeing what catches your eye.
So, "young shoots and twigs" describes the
food
that animals browse upon. But “browse” as a verb means to look at or examine something in an informal way.
Does that make sense? Do you have any questions about how we use the word ‘browse’ today?