Sward is a noun that refers to an expanse of grass. 

Coming from an Old English word for ‘skin,’ our word of the day soon became a term for the upper layer of soil. More recently it’s come to refer to an upper layer that is covered with grass. Here’s an example:

I once got a little confused when my dad told me to cut the sward out back. After learning that he meant the grass, I apologized for sawing the fence in half.