hoe

See also: Hoe, hoë, hö, hō'ē, hòe, hoè, and hoé

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Horom with e as a placeholder.

Symbol

hoe

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Horom.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Horom terms

English

A hoe

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: hō, IPA^(key): /həʊ/
• (US) enPR: hō, IPA^(key): /hoʊ/
• (General Australian) enPR: hō, IPA^(key): /hoʉ/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊ
• Homophone: ho

Etymology 1

From Middle English howe, from Anglo-Norman houe, from Frankish *hauwā, derivative of Frankish *hauwan (“to hew”), from Proto-Germanic *hawwaną. More at hew.

Noun

hoe (plural hoes)

2. Any of various tools for scraping, scratching, digging, or stirring soil or other materials.
   2. (when not otherwise specified) An agricultural and horticultural hand tool consisting of a long handle with a flat blade fixed perpendicular to it at the end, used for digging rows or removing weeds by hand.

      Synonym: hand hoe

      Hyponyms: action hoe, adze hoe, adz hoe, clam hoe, collineal hoe, collinear hoe, double hoe, draw hoe, drill hoe, Dutch hoe, eye hoe, flower hoe, fork hoe, grab hoe, grubbing hoe, grub hoe, hand hoe, hoedad, hoop hoe, Italian hoe, mortar hoe, pattern hoe, Paxton hoe, prong hoe, ridging hoe, scuffle hoe, swivel hoe, Warren hoe

      Coordinate terms: wheel hoe, backhoe, trackhoe

      For their organic row crops, they do the weeding with hoes. They get in there often, but it goes fast, and the weeds never get ahead.

      • 2009, TRU TV, 28 March:

        It was obvious that it consisted of several blows to the head from the hoe.

   4. Any of several implements or machines usually called by their more specific names, for example, backhoe.

      Hyponyms: wheel hoe, horse hoe, backhoe, trackhoe

      The grading is on hold. In the meantime, get that hoe over here and work on this utility trench. [Instructions issued to a worker who will operate a backhoe]

Derived terms

• action hoe
• adze hoe, adz hoe
• backhoe
• clam hoe
• collineal hoe, collinear hoe
• double hoe
• draw hoe
• drill hoe
• Dutch hoe
• eye hoe
• flower hoe
• fork hoe
• grab hoe
• grubbing hoe
• grub hoe
• hand hoe
• hoecake
• hoedad
• hoedown
• hoe-farming
• hoelike
• hoe nightshade
• hoop hoe
• horse hoe
• Italian hoe
• mortar hoe
• pattern hoe
• Paxton hoe
• prong hoe
• rakehoe
• ridging hoe
• scuffle hoe
• swivel hoe
• swoe
• Warren hoe
• wheel hoe

Translations

agricultural tool

• Afrikaans: skoffelpik
• Albanian: shat (sq) f, gërmues (sq)
• Arabic: مِعْزَقة f (miʕzaqa)
• Armenian: բրիչ (hy) (bričʻ)
• Aromanian: sapã f
• Assamese: কোৰ (kür)
• Asturian: fesoria f
• Avar: газа (gaza)
• Azerbaijani: alaqkeş, toxa
• Bashkir: тәпке (təpke), кәтмән (kətmən)
• Basque: aitzur
• Bats: თოჴ (toq)
• Belarusian: маты́ка f (matýka)
• Bikol Central: asadol
• Bukar-Sadung Bidayuh: sangkul
• Bulgarian: моти́ка (bg) f (motíka)
• Catalan: aixada (ca)
• Central Melanau: sakul
• Chechen: цел (cel)
• Cherokee: ᎦᎶᎪᏗ (galogodi)
• Chichewa: khasu
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鋤 / 锄 (zh) (chú)

• Czech: motyka (cs) f
• Danish: hakke c
• Dutch: schoffel (nl) m, hak (nl) m
• Egyptian: (ḥnn m), (ḫbsyt f), (jknw m)
• Esperanto: rastro (eo), sarkilo
• Estonian: kõblas (et)
• Finnish: kuokka (fi), yksiteräinen kuokka, yksipäinen kuokka
• French: binette (fr) f, houe (fr) f
• Friulian: sape f
• Galician: aixada (gl) f, legón m, ligoña f, sacho (gl) m
• Georgian: თოხი (ka) (toxi)
• German: Hacke (de) f

  Alemannic German: Grebel m

• Greek: τσάπα (el) f (tsápa)

  Ancient: σκαφεῖον n (skapheîon), ἐπισκαφεῖον n (episkapheîon), σκαλίς f (skalís)

• Hebrew: מעדר (he) m (má'der)
• Hindi: कुदाल (hi) m (kudāl)
• Hungarian: kapa (hu)
• Iban: changkol
• Icelandic: hlújárn (is) n
• Ido: bineto (io), hauo (io)
• Ingrian: kookka
• Ingush: цел (cel)
• Irish: grafóg f
• Italian: zappa (it) f
• Japanese: 鍬 (ja) (くわ, kuwa)
• Kashubian: hôk m
• Kazakh: шот (şot), кетпен (ketpen)
• Kikuyu: icembe
• Kitembo: fuka
• Korean: 괭이 (ko) (gwaeng'i)
• Ladino: kavakadura
• Latgalian: kapacs f
• Latin: sarculum n, marra (la) f
• Latvian: kaplis (lv) m
• Laz: ბერგი (bergi), თოხი (toxi), ჩაფა (çapa)
• Lezgi: къупу (q̄upu)
• Lingala: ekongo
• Lithuanian: kaplys m
• Luxembourgish: Heel m
• Macedonian: мотика (mk) f (motika)
• Malay: cangkul (ms), pangkur (ms), pacul (ms), cak (ms)
• Malayalam: മൺവെട്ടി (ml) (maṇveṭṭi), തൂമ്പ (ml) (tūmpa), കൈക്കോട്ട് (kaikkōṭṭ‌)
• Maltese: zappuna f, lexxuna f
• Manchu: ᡥᠣᠮᡳᠨ (homin)
• Maori: pāketu, hetiheti, tipitipi, karaone
• Mazanderani: بلو (balu), فوکا (fokā)
• Mingrelian: ბერგი (bergi), თოხი (toxi)
• Mohawk: atshōkten
• Mwani: jembe
• Norman: houette f
• Norwegian: hakke (no)
• O'odham: sibiyo
• Occitan: aissada (oc) f
• Ossetian: къӕпи (k’æpi)
• Ottoman Turkish: چاپه (çapa), كنند (kenend)
• Pawnee: kátạreːrịwɩs
• Persian: کج‌بیل (kaj-bil)
• Piedmontese: sapa f
• Plautdietsch: Weedhak f, Hak f
• Polabian: ťüpål m
• Polish: motyka (pl) f
• Portuguese: enxada (pt) f, facholo m (Mozambique)
• Quechua: lampa
• Romanian: sapă (ro) f
• Russian: тя́пка (ru) f (tjápka), моты́га (ru) f (motýga)
• Rwanda-Rundi: isuka (Rundi)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мотика f

  Roman: motika (sh) f

• Slovak: motyka f
• Slovene: motika (sl) f
• Southern Altai: кертме (kertme)
• Spanish: azada (es) f, azadón (es) m, lampa (es) f
• Svan: ბე̄რგ (bērg)
• Swahili: jembe (sw)
• Swedish: hacka (sv) c
• Tagalog: asada, asarol
• Tai Dam: chóp
• Tamil: மண்வெட்டி (ta) (maṇveṭṭi)
• Thai: จอบ (th) (jɔ̀ɔp)
• Tumbuka: jembe
• Turkish: çapa (tr)
• Turkmen: kätmen
• Udi: тохи (toꭓi)
• Ukrainian: моти́ка f (motýka)
• Uzbek: motiga (uz)
• Venetan: sapa (vec) f
• Vietnamese: cuốc (vi)
• Welsh: hof f, chwynnogl f
• West Coast Bajau: sangkul
• Yiddish: גראָבאײַזן n (grobayzn)
• Yucatec Maya: tuhnkuy
• Yuchi: hafɛ
• Zhuang: gvak
• Zuni: waba’’ananne

Verb

hoe (third-person singular simple present hoes, present participle hoeing, simple past and past participle hoed)

1. (ambitransitive) To cut, dig, scrape, turn, arrange, or clean, with this tool.

   to hoe the earth in a garden

   Every year, I hoe my garden for aeration.

   I always take a shower after I hoe in my garden.

2. (transitive) To clear from weeds, or to loosen or arrange the earth about, with a hoe.

   to hoe corn

Derived terms

• hard row to hoe
• hoe in
• hoe into
• hoe one's row
• long row to hoe
• row to hoe
• tough row to hoe
• unhoed

Translations

to use the gardening tool

• Afrikaans: skoffel
• Albanian: gërmoj (sq)
• Aromanian: sãrcljedz, prãshescu
• Atayal: pazih
• Bulgarian: прекопавам (bg) (prekopavam)
• Danish: hakke
• Dutch: schoffelen (nl)
• Estonian: kõplama
• Finnish: kuokkia (fi)
• French: houer (fr)
• Galician: sachar (gl), cavar (gl)
• Georgian: თოხავს (toxavs), მოთოხავს (motoxavs)
• German: hacken (de)
• Greek: τσαπίζω (el) (tsapízo)

  Ancient: σκάλλω (skállō), σκάπτω (skáptō)

• Hindi: कुदाल (hi) m (kudāl)
• Hungarian: kapál (hu)
• Ido: hauagar (io)
• Ingrian: kookkia
• Italian: zappare (it)
• Latin: sariō
• Maltese: agħżaq
• Maori: pāpako, hetiheti, whakapāpako
• Ottoman Turkish: چاپه‌لمق (çapalamak)
• Piedmontese: sapé
• Portuguese: enxadar
• Quechua: lampay
• Romanian: prăși (ro), săpa (ro)
• Russian: моты́жить (ru) (motýžitʹ), разрыхля́ть (ru) (razryxljátʹ)
• Rwanda-Rundi: kurima (Rundi)
• Serbo-Croatian: kopati motikom
• Slovak: kopať, okopávať
• Spanish: azadonar, cavar (es)
• Tarifit: ariyzim m
• Thai: จอบ (th) (jɔ̀ɔp)
• Turkish: çapalamak (tr)
• Venetan: sapar (vec)

See also

• mattock
• pick
• rake

Further reading

• Hoe (implement) in the 1905 edition of the New International Encyclopedia.

Etymology 2

From a non-rhotic pronunciation of whore.

Alternative forms

• ho

Noun

hoe (plural hoes)

2. (slang, derogatory) Alternative spelling of ho (“whore, prostitute”).

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:prostitute

   • 1973, “Spoon”, in Hustler's Convention, performed by Lightnin' Rod:

     Then we split to the Cafe Black Rose / To party with some hoes

   • 1994, 0:00 from the start, in Juicy‎^[1] (Hip Hop), spoken by The Notorious B.I.G.:

     Fuck all you hoes.
     Get a grip, motherfucker.

   • 2002, Eithne Quinn, Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap‎^[2]:

     […] this chapter […] will […] explore why pimp (and hoe) characters, with their dramatic staging of gendered and occupational relations […] have taken such hold of the black youth imagination

   • 2003, Dan Harrington, The Good Eye‎^[3]:

     At school they had been among the only couples that had not done “it” at the Pimp & Hoe parties that popped up occasionally at the dorm

   • 2023 June 9, John Mac Ghlionn, “The new Andrew Tate: Toxic ‘manosphere’ podcaster claims ‘all women are whores’”, in New York Post‎^[4]:

     On the podcast, Gaines and his co-host Walter Weekes (Fresh), regularly refer to women as “hoes” or 304s (304 on an upside-down calculator looks like the word “hoe”).

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:hoe.

Derived terms

• art hoe
• bros before hoes
• captain save a hoe
• hoebag
• hoeflation
• hoeism
• hoejabi
• hoes before bros
• scare the hoes
• you can't turn a hoe into a housewife

Verb

hoe (third-person singular simple present hoes, present participle hoeing, simple past and past participle hoed)

1. (US, slang) Alternative spelling of ho (“to prostitute”).
   • 2003, Da’rel the Relentless One, M. T. Pimp‎^[5]:

     Pimpin’ came so naturally to MT when he and his sisters played pimp and hoe games that one of his sisters wanted to hoe for him when they grew up.

Derived terms

• hoe around

Etymology 3

From Middle English hough, hogh, from Old English hōh.

Alternative forms

• hough

Noun

hoe (plural hoes)

2. A piece of land that juts out towards the sea; a promontory.

Usage notes

• Now used only in place names, such as Plymouth Hoe and Samphire Hoe.

Etymology 4

Cognate with Dutch haai (“shark”), qv.

Noun

hoe (plural hoes)

1. (Orkney, Shetland) The horned or piked dogfish, Squalus acanthias.

Anagrams

• HEO, Heo

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch hoe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɦu/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

hoe

1. how

Related terms

• hoekom

Angor

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xoe/

Noun

hoe

1. water

References

• Robert Lee Litteral, Features in Anggor Discourse (1980), page 38

'Are'are

Noun

hoe

1. friend

References

• Kateřina Naitoro, A Sketch Grammar of 'Are'are: The Sound System and Morpho-Syntax (2013)

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch hoe, from Old Dutch huo, from Proto-Germanic *hwō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɦu/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: hoe
• Rhymes: -u

Adverb

hoe

1. how

Derived terms

• hoe dan ook
• hoedanig
• hoeveel
• hoezeer
• hoezo
• in hoeverre

Descendants

• Berbice Creole Dutch: ho
• Jersey Dutch: hû
• Negerhollands: hoe, ho, hue

Conjunction

hoe

1. (hoe ... hoe, hoe ... des te) the ... the, forms a parallel comparative

   Synonym: des te

   Hoe meer hoe beter! ― The more the better!

   Hoe eerder hoe beter! ― The sooner the better!

Finnish

Verb

hoe

1. inflection of hokea:
   1. present active indicative connegative
   2. second-person singular present imperative
   3. second-person singular present active imperative connegative

Garo

Particle

hoe

1. yes, indeed

Usage notes

There is no real equivalent of an antonym to yes in Garo. When denoting negative sentences, attach the suffix -ja to the main verb.

Hawaiian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *fohe (compare with Maori hoe, Tongan fohe, Samoan foe), from Proto-Central Pacific *voce (compare with Fijian voce), from Proto-Oceanic *pose , from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *boʀse, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bəʀsay (“canoe paddle”) (compare with Pangutaran Sama busay, Kelabit besai, Central Dusun bosi, Cebuano bugsáy).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈho.e/, [ˈho.we]

Noun

hoe

1. oar
2. paddle

Derived terms

• lauhoe (“paddle blade”)

Verb

hoe

1. to row, to paddle
2. to propel, to start
3. (figurative) to keep working

Derived terms

• hoʻohoe (causative)
• hoehoe (reduplicated form)
• pāhoe (“paddler”)

Hokkien

For pronunciation and definitions of hoe – see 花 (“flower; blossom; florid; flowery; etc.”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 花).

Maori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *fohe (compare with Tongan fohe, Samoan foe), from Proto-Central Pacific *voce (compare with Fijian voce), from Proto-Oceanic *pose, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *boʀse, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *bəʀsay (“canoe paddle”) (compare with Pangutaran Sama busay, Kelabit besai, Central Dusun bosi, Cebuano bugsáy).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhoe/, [ˈhɔɛ]

Noun

hoe

1. oar
2. paddle

Verb

hoe (passive hoea)

1. to row, to paddle
2. to push away with one's hand
   1. (figurative) to refuse, to reject

Derived terms

• hoea
• hoehoe
• whakahoe

Further reading

• Williams, Herbert William (1917), “hoe”, in A Dictionary of the Maori Language, pages 65-6 (+28)
• “hoe” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch huo, from Proto-Germanic *hwō.

Adverb

hoe

1. how, in what way/manner
2. how, to what degree

Alternative forms

• woe (eastern)

Descendants

• Dutch: hoe
• Limburgish: woe

Further reading

• “hoe”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “hoe (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

Middle English

Etymology 1

Pronoun

hoe

1. alternative form of heo (“she”)

Etymology 2

Pronoun

hoe

1. alternative form of he (“they”)

Middle French

Noun

hoe

1. alternative form of houe (“hoe”)

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /huːə/

Noun

hoe f (definite singular hoa, indefinite plural hoer, definite plural hoene)

1. alternative form of ho

Old French

Alternative forms

• hou, howe, hewe, owe (Anglo-Norman)
• haue (Anglo-Norman, Picard)
• houe

Etymology

From Frankish *hauwā. Attested from the late 12th century.

Pronunciation

• (classical) IPA^(key): /ˈhɔə/
• (late) IPA^(key): /ˈhuə/

Noun

hoe oblique singular, f (oblique plural hoes, nominative singular hoe, nominative plural hoes)

1. hoe
2. billhook
3. (by extension) toeclip of a horseshoe

Derived terms

• hoel
• hoer
• hoete

Descendants

• Middle French: houe
  • French: houe
• Norman: hoe, haoue (Guernésiais)
• Picard: hau (Ch'ti)
• Walloon: awe, hawe
• → Middle English: howe, houwe
  • English: hoe
  • Yola: howe

References

• “hoe1”, in DEAF: Dictionnaire Étymologique de l'Ancien Français, Heidelberg: Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1968-.
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “*hauwa”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 16: Germanismes: G–R, page 185

Scots

Etymology

Probably from Norn høg or Middle Norwegian haa. Ultimately from Old Norse hár

Noun

hoe (plural hoes)

1. The piked dogfish, Squalus acanthias

Vietnamese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.).

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [hwɛ˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [hwɛ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [wɛ˧˧]

Adjective

hoe • (暉, 槐)

1. reddish; carroty

   khóc nhiều mắt đỏ hoe ― to cry so much that the eyes become reddish

   tóc hoe hoe ― reddish hair

Derived terms

• đỏ hoe

Anagrams

• heo

Welsh

Etymology

Perhaps borrowed from English ho (“a stop; a halt”).

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /hoːɨ̯/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /hɔi̯/

Noun

hoe f (plural hoeau, not mutable)

1. pause, break, rest

   Synonyms: egwyl, gosteg, saib, seibiant

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian hū, from Proto-Germanic *hwō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hu/

Adverb

hoe

1. how (interrogative)

Derived terms

• hoe't

Further reading

• “hoe (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011