View synonyms for scow

scow

[ skou ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any of various vessels having a flat-bottomed rectangular hull with sloping ends, built in various sizes with or without means of propulsion, as barges, punts, rowboats, or sailboats.
Eastern U.S. a barge carrying bulk material in an open hold.
an old or clumsy boat; hulk; tub.

scow

/ skaʊ /

an unpowered barge used for freight; lighter
(esp in the midwestern US) a sailing yacht with a flat bottom, designed to plane

Origin of scow¹

1660–70, Americanism; < Dutch schouw ferryboat

Origin of scow¹

C18: via Dutch schouw from Low German schalde, related to Old Saxon skaldan to push (a boat) into the sea

Here the “c” is hard and represents 7, and as the steamboat could easily outrun the “scow,” the phrase is easily remembered.

It was an ancient scow, housed over, and evidently had grown venerable in service as a floating fish-market.

See him as he journeys down the Yukon in a scow loaded with lumber for a mission building.

Footnote 23: A batteau is a kind of scow or flat-boat, used on shallow streams like the Hudson above Waterford.

I do not remember the embarking on the great scow for our trip down the Columbia to the Cascades.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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