sow
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology 1 [edit]
Middle English sowe, from Old English sugu, from Proto-Germanic *sugō (compare West Frisian sûch, Dutch zeug, Low German Söög, Swedish sugga, Norwegian sugge), from Proto-Indo-European *suh₂kéh₂ (compare Welsh hwch ‘pig’, Sanskrit सूकर (sūkará, “swine, boar”)), from *suh₂-, *sū- ‘pig’ (compare German Sau, Latin sūs, Tocharian B suwo, Ancient Greek ὗς (hỹs), Albanian thi, Avestan hū ‘boar’). See also swine.
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
- A female pig.
- A channel that conducts molten metal to molds.
- A mass of metal solidified in a mold.
- 1957, H.R. Schubert, History of the British Iron and Steel Industry, p. 160:
- In England, it was generally termed a 'sow', if the weight was above 10 cwts., if below, it was termed a 'pig' from which the present term 'pig iron' is derived.
- 1957, H.R. Schubert, History of the British Iron and Steel Industry, p. 160:
- (derogatory, slang) A contemptible woman.
- A sowbug.
- (military) A kind of covered shed, formerly used by besiegers in filling up and passing the ditch of a besieged place, sapping and mining the wall, etc.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Craig to this entry?)
Usage notes [edit]
The plural form swine is now obsolete in this sense.
Synonyms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
female pig
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channel that conducts molten metal to molds
mass of metal solidified in a mold
contemptible woman
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
See also [edit]
Etymology 2 [edit]
Old English sāwan, from Proto-Germanic *sēaną, from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁-.
Pronunciation [edit]
Verb [edit]
sow (third-person singular simple present sows or archaic soweth, present participle sowing, simple past sowed, past participle sown)
- (transitive) To scatter, disperse, or plant (seeds).
- I needed to sow the field, so I sowed the field and when I had sown the field, I was happy.
- As you sow, so shall you reap.
Synonyms [edit]
Derived terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
disperse seeds
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Anagrams [edit]
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English derogatory terms
- English slang
- en:Military
- English verbs
- English heteronyms
- English irregular verbs
- English terms with multiple etymologies
- en:Female animals
- en:Pigs