FOTHER

Etymology

Noun

fother (countable and uncountable, plural fothers)

(obsolete) A wagonload.

(obsolete) A load of any sort.

(historical) A load: various English units of weight or volume based upon standardized cartloads of certain commodities.

Synonyms

• (unspecific amount): See cartload

• (specific amount): See load

Hyponyms

• (cartload): See load

Verb

fother (third-person singular simple present fothers, present participle fothering, simple past and past participle fothered)

(dialect) To feed animals (with fother).

(dated, nautical) To stop a leak with oakum or old rope (often by drawing a sail under the hull).

Anagrams

• forthe, therof

Source: Wiktionary

Foth"er, n. Etym: [OE. fother, foder, AS. fo a cartload; akin to G. fuder a cartload, a unit of measure, OHG. fuodar, D. voeder, and perh. to E. fathom, or cf. Skr. patra vessel, dish. Cf. Fodder a fother.]

1. A wagonload; a load of any sort. [Obs.] Of dung full many a fother. Chaucer.

2. See Fodder, a unit of weight.

Foth"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fothered; p. pr. & vb. n. Fothering.] Etym: [Cf. Fodder food, and G. füttern, futtern, to cover within or without, to line. *75.]

Definition: To stop (a leak in a ship at sea) by drawing under its bottom a thrummed sail, so that the pressure of the water may force it into the crack. Totten.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition