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definitions

sewing

[soh-ing]
See more synonyms for sewing on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act or work of one who sews.
  2. something sewn or to be sewn.

Origin of sewing

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at sew1, -ing1

sew

1
[soh]
verb (used with object), sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing.
  1. to join or attach by stitches.
  2. to make, repair, etc., (a garment) by such means.
  3. to enclose or secure with stitches: to sew flour in a bag.
  4. to close (a hole, wound, etc.) by means of stitches (usually followed by up).
verb (used without object), sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing.
  1. to work with a needle and thread or with a sewing machine.
Verb Phrases
  1. sew up,
    1. Informal.to get or have a monopoly of; control exclusively.
    2. Informal.to complete or conclude (arrangements, negotiations, etc.) successfully: They were about to sew up the deal when the argument started.
    3. to gain or be assured of: He tried to sew up as many votes as possible before the convention.

Origin of sew

1
before 900; Middle English sewen, Old English siw(i)an; cognate with Old High German siuwan, Gothic siujan, Latin suere (see suture); akin to seam
Related formssew·a·ble, adjective, noun

sew

2
[soo]Nautical
verb (used with object), sewed, sew·ing.
  1. to ground (a vessel) at low tide (sometimes fol by up).
verb (used without object), sewed, sew·ing.
  1. (of a vessel) to be grounded at low tide.
noun
  1. the amount of additional water necessary to float a grounded vessel.

Origin of sew

2
1505–15; < Middle French sewer, aphetic variant of essewer < Vulgar Latin *exaquāre, equivalent to Latin ex- ex-1 + aqu(a) water + -āre infinitive suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sewing

tailoring, mending, needlework, stitchery, seaming, needlecraft, dressmaking

Examples from the Web for sewing

Contemporary Examples of sewing

Historical Examples of sewing

  • She had taken her sewing again, and she bent her head over it as if she were ashamed.

    Tiverton Tales

    Alice Brown

  • Why, I don't earn that amount of money by six months' sewing.

  • For her mother, sewing and cooking had been accomplishments; for her they were work.

  • While he talked she would sit with her sewing, now and then putting in a question to help.

    The Harbor

    Ernest Poole

  • Women with peaceful faces could be seen bent over their sewing.

    L'Assommoir

    Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for sewing

sewing

noun
    1. a piece of cloth, etc, that is sewn or to be sewn
    2. (as modifier)sewing basket

sew

verb sews, sewing, sewed, sewn or sewed
  1. to join or decorate (pieces of fabric, etc) by means of a thread repeatedly passed through with a needle or similar implement
  2. (tr; often foll by on or up) to attach, fasten, or close by sewing
  3. (tr) to make (a garment, etc) by sewing
See also sew up

Word Origin for sew

Old English sēowan; related to Old Norse sӯja, Gothic siujan, Old High German siuwen, Latin suere to sew, Sanskrit sīvjati he sews
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 sewing
n.

late 13c., "action of sewing;" c.1400, "sewn work," verbal noun from sew (v.). Sewing machine is attested from 1847.

sew

v.

Old English siwian "to stitch, sew, mend, patch, knit together," earlier siowian, from Proto-Germanic *siwjanan (cf. Old Norse syja, Swedish sy, Danish sye, Old Frisian sia, Old High German siuwan, Gothic siujan "to sew"), from PIE root *syu- "to bind, sew" (cf. Sanskrit sivyati "sews," sutram "thread, string;" Greek hymen "thin skin, membrane," hymnos "song;" Latin suere "to sew, sew together;" Old Church Slavonic šijo "to sew," šivu "seam;" Lettish siuviu, siuti "to sew," siuvikis "tailor;" Russian švec "tailor"). Related: Sewed; sewing. To sew (something) up "bring it to a conclusion" is a figurative use attested by 1904.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper