SOW
sow
(noun) an adult female hog
sow
(verb) introduce into an environment; “sow suspicion or beliefs”
sow, seed
(verb) place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth; “She sowed sunflower seeds”
inseminate, sow, sow in
(verb) place seeds in or on (the ground); “sow the ground with sunflower seeds”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology 1
Noun
sow (plural sows or swine)
A female pig.
A female bear, she-bear.
A female guinea pig.
A channel that conducts molten metal to molds.
A mass of metal solidified in a mold.
(derogatory, slang) A contemptible, often fat woman.
A sowbug.
(military) A kind of covered shed, formerly used by besiegers in filling up and passing the ditch of a besieged place, sapping and mining the wall, etc.
Usage notes
The plural form swine is now obsolete in this sense.
Synonyms
• (mass of metal solidified in a mold): ingot
• (contemptible woman): bitch, cow
Etymology 2
Verb
sow (third-person singular simple present sows, present participle sowing, simple past sowed, past participle sowed or sown)
(ambitransitive) To scatter, disperse, or plant (seeds).
(figurative) To spread abroad; to propagate.
(figurative) To scatter over; to besprinkle.
Synonyms
• plant, scatter
Anagrams
• OSW, OWS, W.O.s, WOs, wos
Proper noun
Sow (plural Sows)
A surname.
Statistics
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Sow is the 14920th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1984 individuals. Sow is most common among Black/African American (92.34%) individuals.
Anagrams
• OSW, OWS, W.O.s, WOs, wos
Source: Wiktionary
Sow, v. i.
Definition: To sew. See Sew. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Sow, n. Etym: [OE. sowe, suwe, AS. sugu, akin to su, D. zog, zeug,
OHG. su, G. sau, Icel. syr, Dan. so, Sw. sugga, so, L. sus. Gr. "y^s,
sy^s, Zend. hu boar; probably from the root seen in Skr. su to beget,
to bear; the animal being named in allusion to its fecundity. sq.
root294. Cf. Hyena, Soil to stain, Son, Swine.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Definition: The female of swine, or of the hog kind.
2. (Zoöl.)
Definition: A sow bug.
3. (Metal.)
(a) A channel or runner which receives the rows of molds in the pig
bed.
(b) The bar of metal which remains in such a runner.
(c) A mass of solidified metal in a furnace hearth; a salamander.
4. (Mil.)
Definition: A kind of covered shed, formerly used by besiegers in filling
up and passing the ditch of a besieged place, sapping and mining the
wall, or the like. Craig. Sow bread. (Bot.) See Cyclamen.
– Sow bug, or Sowbug (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of
terrestrial Isopoda belonging to Oniscus, Porcellio, and allied
genera of the family Oniscidæ. They feed chiefly on decaying
vegetable substances.
– Sow thistle Etym: [AS. sugepistel] (Bot.), a composite plant
(Sonchus oleraceus) said to be eaten by swine and some other animals.
Sow, v. t. [imp. Sowed; p. p. Sown or Sowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Sowing.]
Etym: [OE. sowen, sawen, AS. sawan; akin to OFries. s, D. zaaijen,
OS. & HG. sajan, G. säen, Icel. sa, Sw. så, Dan. saae, Goth. saian,
Lith. seti, Russ. sieiate, L. serere, sevi. Cf. Saturday, Season,
Seed, Seminary.]
1. To scatter, as seed, upon the earth; to plant by strewing; as, to
sow wheat. Also used figuratively: To spread abroad; to propagate.
"He would sow some difficulty." Chaucer.
A sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the
wayside. Matt. xiii. 3, 4.
And sow dissension in the hearts of brothers. Addison.
2. To scatter seed upon, in, or over; to supply or stock, as land,
with seeds. Also used figuratively: To scatter over; to besprinkle.
The intellectual faculty is a goodly field, . . . and it is the worst
husbandry in the world to sow it with trifles. Sir M. Hale.
[He] sowed with stars the heaven. Milton.
Now morn . . . sowed the earth with orient pearl. Milton.
Sow, v. i.
Definition: To scatter seed for growth and the production of a crop; --
literally or figuratively.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joi. Ps. cxxvi. 5.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition