farrow

¹

[ far-oh ]

noun

1. a litter of pigs.

verb (used with object)

1. (of swine) to bring forth (young).

verb (used without object)

1. to produce a litter of pigs.

farrow

²

[ far-oh ]

adjective

1. (of a cow) not pregnant.

farrow

¹

/ ˈfærəʊ /

noun

1. a litter of piglets

verb

1. (of a sow) to give birth to (a litter)

farrow

²

/ ˈfærəʊ /

adjective

1. (of a cow) not calving in a given year

Word History and Origins

Origin of farrow¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English farwen “to give birth to a litter of pigs,” derivative of Old English fearh “pig” (cognate with Latin porcus ); akin to German Ferkel “young pig”

Origin of farrow²

1485–95; akin to Dutch dialect verwe- (in verwekoe barren cow), Old English fearr ox

Word History and Origins

Origin of farrow¹

Old English fearh ; related to Old High German farah young pig, Latin porcus pig, Greek porkos

Origin of farrow²

C15: from Middle Dutch verwe- (unattested) cow that has ceased to bear; compare Old English fearr ox

Example Sentences

If you need a show for millennials, why not hand it over to Ronan Farrow, the offspring of celebrity parents.

From The Daily Beast

This two-person play is a showcase for seasoned actors, starting with Brian Dennehy and Mia Farrow.

From The Daily Beast

Ronan Farrow may have gotten all the attention, but another new anchor at MSNBC started the same day as him.

From The Daily Beast

“She also has amazing hair,” Farrow said of Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

From The Daily Beast

Farrow was showered with congratulations by guest upon guest, so much so that they got in the way of winding the segments up.

From The Daily Beast

As the quantity of milk diminishes in a farrow cow, the quality improves within certain limits.

From Project Gutenberg

I turned hastily, just in time to see the farrow cow in the act of shredding herself through a tight barbed wire fence.

From Project Gutenberg

"If he knew that his business here was to flatter the local lady-pigs with farrow, Wutzchen would hop out and run," Aaron said.

From Project Gutenberg

I had 60 well-bred sows, young and old, and I could count on them to farrow at least three times in two years.

From Project Gutenberg

Miss Farrow was a telepath; I'd not called my girl by name, only by an affectionate mental image.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Farrow

What does farrow mean?

A farrow is a litter of piglets. Farrow can also be used as a verb meaning (for a mother pig) to produce a litter of piglets.

Unrelatedly, farrow can also be used as an adjective describing a cow that is not pregnant in a given year—one year a cow may have baby cows, and the next year it may be farrow.

Example: Three of our sows successfully farrowed—each had a farrow of 12 piglets.

Where does farrow come from?

The first records of farrow in reference to pigs come from before the 900s. It comes from the Old English fearh, meaning “pig.” The first records of farrow in reference to cows comes from the late 1400s. That term is related to the Old English fearr, meaning “ox.” Despite their similarity, there’s no apparent connection between the terms.

Farrow is most commonly used in reference to pregnant pigs and litters of piglets. A sow (an adult female pig) that is pregnant can be said to in farrow. Pig farmers sometimes have special farrowing barns where sows can give birth. In a single year, a sow can give birth to as many as three farrows (litters). As a verb, farrow can be used with an object (as in The sow farrowed 11 piglets) or without one (as in Two of the sows are ready to farrow).

When farrow is an adjective applied to cows, it indicates the opposite situation: a farrow cow is one that is not calving (giving births to calves).

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to farrow?

• farrowing (adjective, continuous tense verb)
• nonfarrowing (adjective)

What are some synonyms for farrow?

• birth (as a verb)
• litter

What are some words that often get used in discussing farrow?

 

• pig
• piglet
• sow
• cow
• calf
• birth
• barn

What are some words farrow may be commonly confused with?

 

• fallow
• farro

How is farrow used in real life?

Farrow is typically used as part of the jargon of pig farming and breeding.

Sleeping in barn again waiting for Princess to farrow. Very cozy & calm except for what sounds like a balrog three bays over. Must be Pearl.

— Longbush Pork (@longbushpork) July 3, 2014

Kinda breaks my heart not being able to farrow out sows with dad 💔

— Kalin Greiner (@Kalin_Greiner) January 2, 2017

Catching up on freshman Molly Clark’s Swine SAE project. Her SAE consists of breeding swine that she cares for, breeds, farrows and shows at the county fair. pic.twitter.com/9wvCDg2TXS

— Bradford-UVCC FFA (@ffabradford) April 22, 2020

 

 

Try using farrow!

Is farrow used correctly in the following sentence? 

The chicken farrowed three eggs.