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harrow

1
[ har-oh ]
/ ˈhær oʊ /
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noun
an agricultural implement with spikelike teeth or upright disks, drawn chiefly over plowed land to level it, break up clods, root up weeds, etc.
verb (used with object)
to draw a harrow over (land).
to disturb keenly or painfully; distress the mind, feelings, etc., of.
verb (used without object)
to become broken up by harrowing, as soil.
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Origin of harrow

1
1250–1300; Middle English harwe; akin to Old Norse herfi harrow, Dutch hark rake, Greek krṓpion sickle

OTHER WORDS FROM harrow

har·row·er, noun

Other definitions for harrow (2 of 3)

harrow2
[ har-oh ]
/ ˈhær oʊ /
verb (used with object) Archaic.
to ravish; violate; despoil.
harry (def. 2).
(of Christ) to descend into (hell) to free the righteous held captive.

Origin of harrow

2
before 1000; Middle English harwen, herwen,Old English hergian to harry

OTHER WORDS FROM harrow

har·row·ment, noun

Other definitions for harrow (3 of 3)

Harrow
[ har-oh ]
/ ˈhær oʊ /
noun
a borough of Greater London, in SE England.
a boarding school for boys, founded in 1571 at Harrow-on-the-Hill, an urban district near London, England.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to harrow

devastate, spoil, demolish, desecrate, desolate, despoil, destroy, devour, fleece, gut, havoc, loot, maraud, pillage, plunder, ransack, rape, ravage, rifle, rob

How to use harrow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for harrow (1 of 3)

harrow1
/ (ˈhærəʊ) /
noun
any of various implements used to level the ground, stir the soil, break up clods, destroy weeds, etc, in soil
verb
(tr) to draw a harrow over (land)
(intr) (of soil) to become broken up through harrowing
(tr) to distress; vex

Derived forms of harrow

harrower, nounharrowing, adjective, noun

Word Origin for harrow

C13: of Scandinavian origin; compare Danish harv, Swedish harf; related to Middle Dutch harke rake

British Dictionary definitions for harrow (2 of 3)

harrow2
/ (ˈhærəʊ) /
verb (tr) archaic
to plunder or ravish
(of Christ) to descend into (hell) to rescue righteous souls

Derived forms of harrow

harrowment, noun

Word Origin for harrow

C13: variant of Old English hergian to harry

British Dictionary definitions for harrow (3 of 3)

Harrow
/ (ˈhærəʊ) /
noun
a borough of NW Greater London; site of an English boys' public school founded in 1571 at Harrow-on-the-Hill, a part of this borough. Pop: 210 700 (2003 est). Area: 51 sq km (20 sq miles)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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