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Literary notes about browse (AI summary)

The word "browse" shows a wide spectrum of uses in literature, ranging from its traditional meaning of feeding lightly on plants to its modern adaptation as a metaphor for searching or perusing content. In classical and poetic texts, such as Virgil’s work [1] and Frazer’s study [2], "browse" evokes pastoral imagery, referring literally to animals feeding on vegetation. Similarly, La Fontaine and other literary sources use it to suggest natural acts, as when a goat is compelled to feed or when a character passively accepts their fate [3], [4], [5]. In contrast, modern texts have extended the term into the realm of technology, where "browse" describes navigating digital environments like websites, menus, and files, as seen across several examples from Odd De Presno’s work and related sources [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13]. This evolution in usage reflects the broader shifts in language driven by cultural and technological changes, linking the natural act of browsing with the digital act of exploration.
  1. Cytisus Is good to browse on, the tall forest yields Pine-torches, and the nightly fires are fed And shoot forth radiance.
    — from The Georgics by Virgil
  2. So lofty is the cliff that the goats which creep along its ledges to browse on the bushes appear like ants to the spectator hundreds of feet below.
    — from The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion by James George Frazer
  3. With grass I'll appease, Or browse on the trees, Or die of famine first.
    — from Fables of La Fontaine — a New Edition, with Notes by Jean de La Fontaine
  4. Where the goat is tied she must browse.
    — from A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs
  5. In danger now no more The stag, a thankless wretch and vile, Began to browse his benefactress o'er.
    — from Fables of La Fontaine — a New Edition, with Notes by Jean de La Fontaine
  6. You can browse this or previous weeks' comparisons and reviews, or search the entire collection.
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  7. Still, take a few minutes and browse through the text.
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  8. Browse ——— To view and possibly edit a file of data on screen similar to handling text in a word processing document.
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  9. You cannot browse menus, send email, or search databases.
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  10. To browse the contents of a folder, select it from the menu.
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  11. On Televerket's Datatorg (Norway), you can browse jobs from the following menu (translated):
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  12. It is often quicker to search a help file on your disk, than to browse through a book.
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno
  13. With telnet, you can browse menus, read text files, use gopher services, and search online databases.
    — from The Online World by Odd De Presno

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