sow

CEFRB2

/səʊ/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To put seeds in the ground so plants can grow.

  2. 02

    noun

    An adult female pig.

Examples

  • We must sow the seeds of mutual understanding.

  • You reap what you sow.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
3

Also pronounced

  • /saʊ/
  • /soʊ/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meaning

  1. A female animal, A female bear; she-bear.

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A female pig.

  2. A female animal

More examples

In context

  • When I had sown the field, the day's work was over.

  • as you sow, so shall you reap

  • 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.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Farmers blank seeds in the spring to start the growing season.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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.