mowing

[moh-ing]

See more synonyms for mowing on Thesaurus.com

noun

the act of leveling or cutting down grass, grain, etc., with a mowing machine or scythe.
the quantity of grass, grain, etc., cut in a specified period.

Origin of mowing

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

mow

[moh]

verb (used with object), mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.

to cut down (grass, grain, etc.) with a scythe or a machine.
to cut grass, grain, etc., from: to mow the lawn.

verb (used without object), mowed, mowed or mown, mow·ing.

to cut down grass, grain, etc.

Verb Phrases

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.

Origin of mow

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

mowe

[mou, moh]

noun, verb (used without object), mowed, mow·ing. Archaic.

mow³.

mow

[mou]

noun

the place in a barn where hay, sheaves of grain, etc., are stored.
a heap or pile of hay or of sheaves of grain in a barn.

verb (used with object)

Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S. to store (hay) in a barn.

Origin of mow

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

mow

or mowe

[mou, moh]Archaic.

noun

a wry or derisive grimace.

verb (used without object)

to make mows, mouths, or grimaces.

Origin of mow

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

Related Words for mowing

trim, shear, crop, clip, scythe, sickle

Examples from the Web for mowing

Contemporary Examples of mowing

Political ads showing Harry Reid on rider mower, mowing the Mall?
PJ’s Political Forecast: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatheads
P. J. O’Rourke
March 14, 2014
She often worked multiple jobs at a time, including tutoring, carpentry, mowing highways, waiting tables, and clerking.
From Hero to Homeless: Tara Dixon’s Story
Paula Broadwell
July 4, 2013
History is likely to dispense with the euphemism of "mowing the lawn" and call this what it is: perpetual war.
What Gaza Means For Iran
Ali Gharib
November 26, 2012
He opens his last essay, “Mowing,” with: “Sometimes everything seems simple.”
Nicholson Baker, Katie Kitamura, and This Week’s Hot Reads: July 30, 2012
Jimmy So
July 30, 2012

Historical Examples of mowing

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.
Aunt Kitty's Stories
Various

British Dictionary definitions for mowing

mow

verb mows, mowing, mowed, mowed or mown

to cut down (grass, crops, etc) with a hand implement or machine
(tr) to cut the growing vegetation of (a field, lawn, etc)

Derived Formsmower, noun

Word Origin for mow

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

mow

noun

the part of a barn where hay, straw, etc, is stored
the hay, straw, etc, stored

Word Origin for mow

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

mow

noun, verb

an archaic word for grimace

Word Origin for mow

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

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.

mow

"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.