Origin and history of turf

Old English turf, tyrf "slab of soil, grass, and roots cut from the earth; sod," also "surface of grassland" (dative plural turvum), from Proto-Germanic *turfa- (source also of Old Norse torf, Danish tørv, Old Frisian turf, Old High German zurba, German Torf). This is said by Watkins to be from PIE root *derbh- "to wind, compress" (source also of Sanskrit darbhah "tuft of grass").

Later especially "the race course," hence the turf "the profession of racing horses" (1755). French tourbe "turf" is a Germanic loan-word. In Middle English turves sometimes was used as plural.

The slang meaning "territory claimed by a gang" is attested from 1953 in Brooklyn; earlier it had a jive talk sense of "the street, the sidewalk" (1930s), which is attested in hobo use from 1899, and before that "the work and venue of a prostitute" (1860). Turf war is recorded from 1962. Related: Turfy; turfen.

early 15c., turven, "to cover (ground, a mound) with turf or sod," from turf (n.). By 1780 as "tear up or dig up peat." Related: Turfed; turfing. Turver "turf-cutter" is attested as a surname from mid-15c.