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

Conyac raises about 150 hogs annually from farrow to finish.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 13, 2022

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

Photograph: toby farrow @ farrows creative Who are they?

From The Guardian • Aug. 11, 2011

The old sow would farrow her young in the out-of-doors.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck