farrow

¹ American  

[far-oh] / ˈfær oʊ /

noun

1. a litter of pigs.

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verb (used with object)

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

verb (used without object)

1. to produce a litter of pigs.

farrow ² American  

[far-oh] / ˈfær oʊ /

adjective

1. (of a cow) not pregnant.

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farrow ¹ British  

/ ˈfærəʊ /

noun

1. a litter of piglets

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verb

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

farrow ² British  

/ ˈfærəʊ /

adjective

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

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Usage

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.

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

About 80 sows and 1,000 piglets were in a farrowing house on the farm.

From BBC

“Particularly in the farrowing shed, they’re very nurturing people,” she says.

From Science Magazine

Chickens meander through the farrowing shed, where sows recline in roomy pens with their suckling piglets.

From Seattle Times

That also includes farrowing crates, which are used to confine sows during and after birth to stop them crushing their piglets and are legal both in the UK and EU.

From BBC

They get moved into “farrowing crates” when they’re suckling their piglets, designed so that they can’t roll over and crush their offspring.

From Los Angeles Times