I. ˈsau̇ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English sowe, suwe, from Old English sugu; akin to Old English sū sow, Old Saxon sū, suga, Old High German sū, Old Norse sȳr sow, Latin sus hog, swine, Greek hys, Cornish hoch, Old Irish socc hog, swine, Sanskrit sūkara boar, hog, swine, Tocharian B suwo swine
1.
a. : the adult female of swine ; specifically : a female hog of any age that has farrowed — compare gilt
b. : the adult female of various mammals (as the cavy)
c. archaic : a fat slovenly woman
2. : a movable protective shed ; specifically : cat 3
3. : wood louse 1
4.
a.
(1) : a channel or runner that conducts molten metal to rows of molds in a pig bed
(2) : mold of larger size than a pig
b. : a mass of metal solidified in such a mold : ingot — compare pig I 5a
c. : salamander
5. chiefly Scotland : stack , heap
II. ˈsō verb
( sowed ; sown ˈsōn ; or sowed ; sowing ; sows )
Etymology: Middle English sowen, sawen, from Old English sāwan; akin to Old High German sāwen, sājen to sow, Old Norse sā, Gothic saian, Latin serere, Lithuanian sėti to sow, Sanskrit sīra plow used for seeding, sāyaka one suitable for throwing; basic meaning: to drop, throw, scatter
intransitive verb
1. : to plant or scatter seed
farmers wait to plough and sow until after the frost is out of the ground
2. : to set something in motion : begin an enterprise
may those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy — Ps 126:5(Revised Standard Version)
transitive verb
1.
a. : to impregnate with or as if with seed
surrounding fields have been sown … with squash, pumpkin and maize — Science
insects are … sowing the lake surface with their eggs — D.C.Peattie
b. : to put into a growing medium : plant
sow seeds in vermiculite
specifically : to broadcast (seed) over a wide area
sow clover
c. : to spread thickly : introduce into a selected environment : distribute , implant
half a million anchovy fingerlings were sown in the waters of the Gulf — Jack Raymond
burying a drum of metallic sodium at sea … would be tantamount to sowing a mine — John Kobler
2. : to set in motion : arouse , foment
moving … from town to village, sowing a suspicion here and a doubt there — Christine Weston
sow timidity where there should be boldness — G.F.Kennan
whatever a man sows, that he will also reap — Gal 6:7(Revised Standard Version)
Synonyms: see strew