swathe

Universal Words noun, verb noun (also swath ) (written) 1 a long strip of land, especially one on which the plants or crops have been cut: The combine had cut a swathe around the edge of the field. * Development has affected vast swathes of our countryside. 2 a large strip or area of sth: a swathe of hair / fabric / sunlight * The mountains rose above a swathe of thick cloud. IDIOMS cut a swathe through sth (of a person, fire, etc.) to pass through a particular area destroying a large part of it: Building the tunnel would involve cutting a great swathe through the forest. verb [VN] [usuallypassive] ~ sb/sth (in sth) (written) to wrap or cover sb/sth in sth: He was lying on the hospital bed, swathed in bandages. * The village was swathed in early morning mist.