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mowing

[moh-ing]
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noun
  1. the act of leveling or cutting down grass, grain, etc., with a mowing machine or scythe.
  2. the quantity of grass, grain, etc., cut in a specified period.
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Origin of mowing

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at mow1, -ing1

mow1

[moh]
verb (used with object), mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.
  1. to cut down (grass, grain, etc.) with a scythe or a machine.
  2. to cut grass, grain, etc., from: to mow the lawn.
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verb (used without object), mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.
  1. to cut down grass, grain, etc.
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Verb Phrases
  1. mow down,
    1. to destroy or kill indiscriminately or in great numbers, as troops in battle.
    2. to defeat, overwhelm, or overcome: The team mowed down its first four opponents.
    3. to knock down.
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Origin of mow1

before 900; Middle English mowen, Old English māwan; cognate with German mähen

mowe

[mou, moh]
noun, verb (used without object), mowed, mow·ing. Archaic.
  1. mow3.
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mow2

[mou]
noun
  1. the place in a barn where hay, sheaves of grain, etc., are stored.
  2. a heap or pile of hay or of sheaves of grain in a barn.
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verb (used with object)
  1. Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S. to store (hay) in a barn.
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Origin of mow2

before 900; Middle English mow(e), Old English mūwa, mūha, mūga; cognate with Old Norse mūgi swath

mow3

or mowe

[mou, moh]Archaic.
noun
  1. a wry or derisive grimace.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to make mows, mouths, or grimaces.
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Origin of mow3

1275–1325; Middle English mowe < Middle French moue lip, pout, Old French moe < Frankish; akin to Middle Dutch mouwe protruded lip
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for mowing

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • He'll sell you a mowing machine and the grass seed to grow the hay to cut with it.

    Cape Cod Stories

    Joseph C. Lincoln

  • After a while Peer went down and drove the mowing machine himself.

    The Great Hunger

    Johan Bojer

  • The other men were as busy as ever mowing more hay and hauling in that which was cured.

    Out of the Depths

    Robert Ames Bennet

  • The men were mowing this grass when Mr. George and Rollo were there.

    Rollo on the Rhine

    Jacob Abbott

  • I am going to the meadows, to see them mowing, I am going to see them make the hay.

British Dictionary definitions for mowing

mow1

verb mows, mowing, mowed, mowed or mown
  1. to cut down (grass, crops, etc) with a hand implement or machine
  2. (tr) to cut the growing vegetation of (a field, lawn, etc)
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Derived Formsmower, noun

Word Origin

Old English māwan; related to Old High German māen, Middle Dutch maeyen to mow, Latin metere to reap, Welsh medi

mow2

noun
  1. the part of a barn where hay, straw, etc, is stored
  2. the hay, straw, etc, stored
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Word Origin

Old English mūwa; compare Old Norse mūgr heap, Greek mukōn

mow3

noun, verb
  1. an archaic word for grimace
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Word Origin

C14: from Old French moe a pout, or Middle Dutch mouwe
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

Word Origin and History for mowing

mow

v.

Old English mawan "to mow" (class VII strong verb; past tense meow, past participle mawen), from Proto-Germanic *mæanan (cf. Middle Low German maeyen, Dutch maaien, Old High German maen, German mähen "to mow," Old English mæd "meadow"), from PIE root *me- "to mow, to cut down grass or grain with a sickle or scythe" (cf. poetic Greek amao, Latin metere "to reap, mow, crop," Italian mietere, Old Irish meithleorai "reapers," Welsh medi). Related: Mowed; mown; mowing.

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mow

n.

"stack of hay," Old English muga, muwa "a heap, swath of corn, crowd of people," earlier muha, from Proto-Germanic *mugon (cf. Old Norse mugr "a heap," mostr "crowd"), of uncertain origin.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper