means A field of grass and wildflowers, usually open and untended, often kept for hay or grazing.

from From Old English 'mǣd' (and its inflected form 'mǣdwe'), tied to the verb 'māwan,' to mow — so a meadow is fundamentally 'the place that gets mown.' It's a cousin of the shorter word 'mead' (the grassy field, not the honey drink) and shares deep Germanic roots with words for mowing across the family. The grass was always meant for cutting.