scow

[skou]

See more synonyms for scow on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of various vessels having a flat-bottomed rectangular hull with sloping ends, built in various sizes with or without means of propulsion, as barges, punts, rowboats, or sailboats.
Eastern U.S. a barge carrying bulk material in an open hold.
an old or clumsy boat; hulk; tub.

verb (used with object)

to transport by scow.

Origin of scow

1660–70, Americanism; < Dutch schouw ferryboat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for scow

raft, dinghy, canoe, sailboat, yacht, craft, barge, ship, catamaran, schooner, gondola, ark, scow, dory, lighter, flatboat, bottom, hulk, launch, skiff

Examples from the Web for scow

Historical Examples of scow

We took the rapids broadside on, but the scow was light and very strong.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
All at once I saw directly in front a scow struggling to make the shore.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
I saw the man jump out with a rope and try to snub the scow to a tree.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
The long painter of the scow had been extended over, and fastened to, the three boats.
Breaking Away
Oliver Optic
There will be time enough then to load the scow, and reach the island by daylight.
Breaking Away
Oliver Optic

British Dictionary definitions for scow

scow

noun

an unpowered barge used for freight; lighter
(esp in the midwestern US) a sailing yacht with a flat bottom, designed to plane

Word Origin for scow

C18: via Dutch schouw from Low German schalde, related to Old Saxon skaldan to push (a boat) into the sea

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 scow

"large flat-bottomed boat," 1780, from Dutch schouw "a ferry boat, punt," from Middle Dutch scouwe, related to Old English scaldan, Old Saxon scaldan "to push (a boat) from shore."