graft

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To unite (a shoot or bud) with a growing plant by insertion or by placing in close contact.
2. v. To join (a plant or plants) by such union.
3. v. To transplant or implant (living tissue, for example) surgically into a bodily part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect.
4. v. To join or unite closely: graft new customs onto old.
5. v. To make a graft.
6. v. To be or become joined.
7. n. A detached shoot or bud united or to be united with a growing plant.
8. n. The union or point of union of a detached shoot or bud with a growing plant by insertion or attachment.
9. n. A plant produced by such union.
10. n. Material, especially living tissue or an organ, surgically attached to or inserted into a bodily part to replace a damaged part or compensate for a defect.
11. n. The procedure of implanting or transplanting such material.
12. n. The configuration or condition resulting from such a procedure.
13. n. Unscrupulous use of one's position to derive profit or advantages; extortion.
14. n. Money or an advantage gained or yielded by unscrupulous means.
15. v. To gain by or practice unscrupulous use of one's position.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Same as graff, 2.
2. n. A small shoot or scion of a tree inserted in another tree as the stock which is to support and nourish it. The graft and stock unite and become one tree, but the graft determines the kind of fruit. See grafting
3. n. Figuratively, something inserted in or incorporated with another thing to which it did not originally belong; an extraneous addition.
4. n. Specifically In surgery, a portion of living tissue, as a minute bit of skin, cut from some part of an animal or person and implanted to grow upon some other individual or some other part of the same individual.
5. To insert, as a scion or graft, or a scion or graft of, into a different stock, for joint growth: as, to graft a slip from one tree into another; to graft the pear upon the quince. See grafting
6. To fix a graft or grafts upon; treat by the operation of grafting.
7. Hence To insert into or incorporate with something else; fix upon something as a basis or support: as, to graft a pagan custom upon Christian institutions.
8. In surgery, to implant for growth in a different place, as a piece of skin.
9. Nautical, to weave over with fine lines in an ornamental manner, as a block-strap, ring-bolt, etc.
10. To insert scions from one tree, or kind of tree, into another.
11. n. l. The depth of a spade in digging; the amount of earth turned up in one turn of the spade.
12. n. A narrow crescent-shaped spade, used in cutting drains.
13. n. Work; labor.
14. n. A job or a trade.
15. To work.
16. n. Dishonest gain acquired by private or secret practices or corrupt agreement or connivance, especially in positions of trust, as by offering or accepting bribes (directly or in the veiled form of commissions, fees, gifts, or philanthropic contributions), or by promising or using, directly or indirectly, one's official influence or power to assist or protect wrongdoing, or by levying blackmail—all in a private way and often disguised so as to seem the customary and proper course of business. The word graft, with its derivates, came suddenly into extensive use in the political and journalistic language of the United States about 1901, as a new term more convenient in some respects than the equivalent terms bribery, corruption, dishonesty, blackmail, ‘boodling,’ all of which it connotes, and of which it is a succinct synonym.
17. n. A business, process, place of concourse, or office, in or at which dishonest gain, by corruption or direct thieving, may be acquired.
18. To engage in graft; live by graft. See graft, n., and compare quotation from Farmer under graft, intransitive verb

Wiktionary

1. n. countable A small shoot or scion of a tree inserted in another tree, the stock of which is to support and nourish it. The two unite and become one tree, but the graft determines the kind of fruit.
2. n. countable A branch or portion of a tree growing from such a shoot.
3. n. surgery, countable A portion of living tissue used in the operation of autoplasty.
4. n. uncountable, colloquial Effort needed for doing hard work.
5. n. uncountable, slang A criminal's special branch of practice
6. n. uncountable Illicit profit by corrupt means, especially in public life.
7. n. uncountable Corruption in official life.
8. n. countable A con job.
9. n. countable, slang A cut of the take (money).
10. n. uncountable, US, politics A bribe, especially on an ongoing basis.
11. v. transitive To insert (a graft) in a branch or stem of another tree; to propagate by insertion in another stock; also, to insert a graft upon.
12. v. transitive, surgery To implant a portion of (living flesh or akin) in a lesion so as to form an organic union.
13. v. transitive To join (one thing) to another as if by grafting, so as to bring about a close union.
14. v. transitive, nautical To cover, as a ring bolt, block strap, splicing, etc., with a weaving of small cord or rope-yarns.
15. v. intransitive To insert scions (grafts) from one tree, or kind of tree, etc., into another; to practice grafting.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A small shoot or scion of a tree inserted in another tree, the stock of which is to support and nourish it. The two unite and become one tree, but the graft determines the kind of fruit.
2. n. A branch or portion of a tree growing from such a shoot.
3. n. (Surg.) A portion of living tissue used in the operation of autoplasty.
4. n. colloq. Acquisition of money, position, etc., by dishonest or unjust means, as by actual theft or by taking advantage of a public office or any position of trust or employment to obtain fees, perquisites, profits on contracts, legislation, pay for work not done or service not performed, etc.; illegal or unfair practice for profit or personal advantage; also, anything thus gained.
5. n. Slang A “soft thing” or “easy thing;” a “snap.”
6. v. To insert (a graft) in a branch or stem of another tree; to propagate by insertion in another stock; also, to insert a graft upon.
7. v. (Surg.) To implant a portion of (living flesh or akin) in a lesion so as to form an organic union.
8. v. To join (one thing) to another as if by grafting, so as to bring about a close union.
9. v. (Naut.) To cover, as a ring bolt, block strap, splicing, etc., with a weaving of small cord or rope-yarns.
10. v. To insert scions from one tree, or kind of tree, etc., into another; to practice grafting.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. (surgery) tissue or organ transplanted from a donor to a recipient; in some cases the patient can be both donor and recipient
2. v. place the organ of a donor into the body of a recipient
3. n. the act of grafting something onto something else
4. n. the practice of offering something (usually money) in order to gain an illicit advantage
5. v. cause to grow together parts from different plants