Harrow Meaning
/ˈhæɹəʊ/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA device consisting of a heavy framework having several disks or teeth in a row, which is dragged across ploughed land to smooth or break up the soil, to remove weeds or cover seeds; a harrow plow.
nounAn obstacle formed by turning an ordinary harrow upside down, the frame being buried.
Sentence Examples
The horses are pulling the harrow.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The tragic news will ____ the community, leaving everyone in grief.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The farmer used a ____ to break up the large clumps of soil and prepare the field for planting.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English harwe, harow, from Old English *hearwa (perhaps ultimately cognate with harvest), or from Old Norse harfr/herfi; compare Danish harve (“harrow”), Dutch hark (“rake”). Akin to Latin carpere. According to the OED, the verb senses are partly derived from the noun sense, partly from a by-form of the verb harry, itself from Old English hergian.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"He sent for the carpenter, who was under contract to be with the threshing-machine, but it turned out that he was mending the harrows, which should have been mended the week before Lent."
— 1918, Louise & Aylmer Maude, Anna Karenina, Oxford, translation of original by Leo Tolstoy, published 1998, page 153:
"“It may be fun for her,” I said with one of my bitter laughs, “but it isn't so diverting for the unfortunate toads beneath the harrow whom she plunges so ruthlessly in the soup.”"
— 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter X:
"Part of your job would be to learn tractor ploughing and the use of planters, harrows, and cultivators."
— 1969, Bessie Head, When Rain Clouds Gather, Heinemann, published 1995, page 28:
"Will he harrow the valleys after thee?"
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 39:10:
"When the corn was sown, I had no harrow, but was forced to go over it myself, and drag a great heavy bough of a tree over it, to scratch it, as it may be called, rather than rake or harrow it."
— 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The tragic news will ____ the community, leaving everyone in grief.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The farmer used a ____ to break up the large clumps of soil and prepare the field for planting.