Sow Meaning

/saʊ/
B2

Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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nounA female pig.

nounA female animal, A female pig.

We must sow the seeds of mutual understanding.
You reap what you sow.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
Farmers ____ seeds in the spring to start the growing season.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is finally time to ____ the seeds in the garden, now that the ground has warmed up from the sun.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sew-? Proto-Indo-European *sewH-? Proto-Indo-European *suH-der. Proto-Germanic *sugō Proto-West Germanic *sugu Old English sugu Middle English sowe English sow From Middle English sowe, from Old English sugu, from Proto-West Germanic *sugu, from Proto-Germanic *sugō, probably from Proto-Indo-European *su(H)kéh₂, from *suH- (“pig”). See also West Frisian sûch, Dutch zeug, Low German Söög, German Sau, Swedish sugga, Norwegian sugge; also Welsh hwch (“pig”), Sanskrit सूकर (sūkará, “swine, boar”); also Danish so, German Sau, Latin sūs, Tocharian B suwo, Ancient Greek ὗς (hûs), Albanian thi, Avestan 𐬵𐬏 (hū, “boar”). See also swine. Doublet of soor.

"Lucky he wasn't a sow. They've usually just dropped a cub this time of year. A sow would have been cranky as hell." — 1995, Dana Stabenow, Play with Fire, →ISBN, page 11:
"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, page 160:
"Euen as I haue seene, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickednsse, reape the same." — 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 4:8:
"And sow dissension in the hearts of brothers." — 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene iv, page 16:
"Not surprisingly, it has sown doubt among other operators of diesel-hydraulics; […]." — 1963 June, G. Freeman Allen, “The success of diesel-hydraulics on the German Federal Railway”, in Modern Railways, page 386:

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CEFR Practice Quiz
Farmers ____ seeds in the spring to start the growing season.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It is finally time to ____ the seeds in the garden, now that the ground has warmed up from the sun.

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