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Webster 1913 Edition

Sow

Sow

,
Verb.
I.
To sew. See
Sew
.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

Sow

,
Noun.
[OE.
sowe
,
suwe
, AS.
sugu
, akin to
sū
, D.
zog
,
zeug
, OHG.
sū
, G.
sau
, Icel.
sȳr
, Dan.
so
, Sw.
sugga
,
so
, L.
sus
. Gr.
ὗς
,
σῦς
, Zend. hu boar; probably from the root seen in Skr.
sū
to beget, to bear; the animal being named in allusion to its fecundity. √294. Cf.
Hyena
,
Soil
to stain,
Son
,
Swine
.]
1.
(Zool.)
The female of swine, or of the hog kind.
2.
(Zool.)
A sow bug.
3.
(Metal.)
(a)
A channel or runner which receives the rows of molds in the pig bed.
(b)
The bar of metal which remains in such a runner.
(c)
A mass of solidified metal in a furnace hearth; a salamander.
4.
(Mil.)
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, or the like.
Craig.
Sow bread
.
(Bot.)
See
Cyclamen
.
–
Sow bug
, or
Sowbug
(Zool.)
,
any one of numerous species of terrestrial
Isopoda
belonging to
Oniscus
,
Porcellio
, and allied genera of the family
Oniscidae
. They feed chiefly on decaying vegetable substances.
–
Sow thistle
[AS.
sugepistel
]
(Bot.)
,
a composite plant (
Sonchus oleraceus
) said to be eaten by swine and some other animals.

Sow

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp.
Sowed
;
p. p.
Sown
or
Sowed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Sowing
.]
[OE.
sowen
,
sawen
, AS.
sāwan
; akin to OFries.
s[GREEK]a
, D.
zaaijen
, OS. & HG.
sājan
, G.
säen
, Icel.
sā
, Sw.
så
, Dan.
saae
, Goth.
saian
, Lith.
sēti
, Russ.
sieiate
, L.
serere
,
sevi
. Cf.
Saturday
,
Season
,
Seed
,
Seminary
.]
1.
To scatter, as seed, upon the earth; to plant by strewing;
as, to
sow
wheat
. Also used figuratively: To spread abroad; to propagate.
“He would sow some difficulty.”
Chaucer.
A sower went forth to
sow
; and when he
sowed
, some seeds fell by the wayside.
Matt. xiii. 3, 4.
And
sow
dissension in the hearts of brothers.
Addison.
2.
To scatter seed upon, in, or over; to supply or stock, as land, with seeds. Also used figuratively: To scatter over; to besprinkle.
The intellectual faculty is a goodly field, . . . and it is the worst husbandry in the world to
sow
it with trifles.
Sir M. Hale.
[He]
sowed
with stars the heaven.
Milton.
Now morn . . .
sowed
the earth with orient pearl.
Milton.

Sow

,
Verb.
I.
To scatter seed for growth and the production of a crop; – literally or figuratively.
They that
sow
in tears shall reap in joi.
Ps. cxxvi. 5.

Webster 1828 Edition

Sow

SOW

, n.
1.
The female of the hog kind or of swine.
2.
An oblong piece of lead.
3.
An insect; a milleped.

Definition 2024

sow

sow

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /saʊ/
  • Rhymes: -aʊ
  • Homophone: sough

Noun

A sow with her young.

sow ‎(plural sows or swine)

  1. A female pig.
  2. A channel that conducts molten metal to molds.
  3. 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.
  4. (derogatory, slang) A contemptible, often fat woman.
  5. A sowbug.
  6. (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

The plural form swine is now obsolete in this sense.

Synonyms
  • (mass of metal solidified in a mold): ingot
  • (contemptible woman): bitch, cow
Derived terms
Translations

See also

Etymology 2

From Middle English sowen, from Old English sāwan, from Proto-Germanic *sēaną, from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁-. Compare Dutch zaaien, German säen, Danish så.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /səʊ/
  • (US) IPA(key): /soʊ/
  • Rhymes: -əʊ
  • Homophones: sew, so

Verb

sow ‎(third-person singular simple present sows, present participle sowing, simple past sowed, past participle sown)

  1. (transitive) To scatter, disperse, or plant (seeds).
    When I had sown the field, the day's work was over.
    As you sow, so shall you reap.
  2. (figuratively) To spread abroad; to propagate.
    • Addison
      And sow dissension in the hearts of brothers.
  3. (figuratively) To scatter over; to besprinkle.
    • Sir M. Hale
      The intellectual faculty is a goodly field, […] and it is the worst husbandry in the world to sow it with trifles.
    • Milton
      [He] sowed with stars the heaven.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English sowe, from Old English sugu, from Proto-Germanic *sugō (compare West Frisian sûch, Dutch zeug, Low German Söög, German Sau, Swedish sugga, Norwegian sugge), from Proto-Indo-European *suh₂kéh₂ (compare Welsh hwch ‎(“pig”), Sanskrit सूकर ‎(sūkará, “swine, boar”)), from *suH- ‘pig’ (compare German Sau, Latin sūs, Tocharian B suwo, Ancient Greek ὗς ‎(hûs), Albanian thi, Avestan 𐬵𐬏 ‎(hū, “boar”). See also swine.

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