farrow
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
adjective
noun
verb
adjective
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
Vocabulary lists containing farrow
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
SG: I like to think we’ve ploughed our own farrow.
From The Verge • Apr. 22, 2020
While we were standing there talking, Maury said, “Do you farrow the sows in a farrowing house?”
From The New Yorker • Jul. 14, 2019
“We raised hogs from farrow to finish, and we had corn, beans, hay and oats. So did everyone around us.”
From The Guardian • Mar. 9, 2019
That was followed by grilled Washington coast wild salmon with black lentils and baby beets, and platters of smoked Draper Valley chicken with farrow and fava beans.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 30, 2013
The old sow would farrow her young in the out-of-doors.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
