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Webster 1913 Edition


Tow

Tow

(tō)
,
Noun.
[OE.
tow
, AS.
tow
, akin to OD.
touw
, Icel.
tō
a tuft of wool for spinning; cf. E.
taw
, v. t.]
The coarse and broken part of flax or hemp, separated from the finer part by the hatchel or swingle.

Tow

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Towed
(tōd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Towing
.]
[OE.
towen
, toȝen; akin to OFries.
toga
to pull about, OHG. zogōn, Icel.
toga
, AS.
toh
line a towline, and AS.
teón
to draw, p. p.
getogen
. See
Tug
.]
To draw or pull through the water, as a vessel of any kind, by means of a rope.

Tow

,
Noun.
[Cf. Icel.
taug
a rope, from the same root as E.
tow
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
A rope by which anything is towed; a towline, or towrope.
2.
The act of towing, or the state of being towed; – chiefly used in the phrase, to take in tow, that is to tow.
3.
That which is towed, or drawn by a towline, as a barge, raft, collection of boats, ect.

Webster 1828 Edition


Tow

TOW

,
Verb.
T.
[L. duco.] To drag, as a boat or ship, through the water by means of a rope. Towing is performed by another boat or ship, or by men on shore, or by horses. Boats on canals are usually towed by horses.

TOW

,
Noun.
[L. stupa.] The coarse and broken part of flax or hemp, separated from the finer part by the hatchel or swingle.

Definition 2024


tow

tow

English

Verb

tow (third-person singular simple present tows, present participle towing, simple past and past participle towed)

  1. (transitive) To pull something behind one using a line or chain; to haul.
Translations

Noun

tow (plural tows)

  1. The act of towing and the condition of being towed.
    It isn't the car's battery; I think I need a tow.
  2. Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.
  3. Something, such as a barge, that is towed.
  4. A rope or cable used in towing.
Translations
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Origin uncertain; compare Old Norse (uncleansed wool), Old English tow- (spinning) (in compounds, e.g. towcræft, towhūs), perhaps cognate with Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽 (taujan, do, make)[1].

Noun

tow (plural tows)

  1. An untwisted bundle of fibers such as cellulose acetate, flax, hemp or jute.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

References

  1. tow” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).

Anagrams