sow

[soh]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sow ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), sowed, sown or sowed, sow·ing.

to scatter (seed) over land, earth, etc., for growth; plant.

to plant seed for: to sow a crop.

to scatter seed over (land, earth, etc.) for the purpose of growth.

to implant, introduce, or promulgate; seek to propagate or extend; disseminate: to sow distrust or dissension.

to strew or sprinkle with anything.

verb (used without object), sowed, sown or sowed, sow·ing.

to sow seed, as for the production of a crop.

Origin of sow

before 900; Middle English sowen, Old English sāwan; cognate with Dutch zaaien, German säen, Old Norse sā, Gothic saian; akin to seed, Latin sēmen seed, serere to sow

Related formssow·a·ble, adjectivesow·er, nounun·sowed, adjective

Synonyms for sow

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sow ON THESAURUS.COM

4. inject, lodge, circulate.

sow

[sou]

noun

an adult female swine.

the adult female of various other animals, as the bear.

Metallurgy.

a large oblong mass of iron that has solidified in the common channel through which the molten metal flows to the smaller channels in which the pigs solidify.
the common channel itself.
a basin holding any of certain molten nonferrous metals to be cast.

Origin of sow

before 900; Middle English sowe, Old English sugu; cognate with German Sau, Old Norse sȳr, Latin sūs, Greek hûs, Tocharian B suwo; see swine

Related formssow·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for sow

propagate, grow, scatter, raise, disseminate, toss, fling, inseminate, broadcast, seed, drill, pitch, lodge, implant, strew, disject

Examples from the Web for sow

Contemporary Examples of sow

But if you choose to conduct your discourse in 140-word snaps, or soundbites, then you reap the crop of dumb that you sow.
Why We Should Hate 'Haters Gonna Hate'
Tim Teeman
August 25, 2014
The youngsters arrived at our border with the unspoken message that we reap what we sow.
The Deported L.A. Gangs Behind This Border Kid Crisis
Michael Daly
July 11, 2014
You reap what you sow, and Republicans are paying the price for elevating a minority within their party.
Ghosts of the Confederacy Out in Force as Fringe Rules GOP
Eleanor Clift
October 16, 2013
“Their lack of appreciation is obvious and quite frankly, they reap what they sow,” reads one.
The Bully Waging War Against Bullies
Lizzie Crocker
October 10, 2013
But on Wednesday, two of its 15 stores were burned down, according to Atallah who believes the attacks were meant to sow discord.
Christians Under Attack
Mike Giglio, Sophia Jones
August 15, 2013

Historical Examples of sow

But the aristocracy did not sow this piece with rye, I suppose?
The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 2, May, 1851
Various
This indicated to her with what grain she could sow the field most profitably.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, Complete
Duc de Saint-Simon
And the sow that was washed, she went wallerin' in the mire, first chance she got.
Old Man Curry
Charles E. (Charles Emmett) Van Loan
Sow auricula and polyanthus seeds in boxes, made of rough boards six inches deep, with holes at the bottom to run off the water.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton
Sow small sallads once in two days, as in the former month: at the same time choose a warm border, and sow some purslain.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,
Mary Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for sow

sow

verb sows, sowing, sowed, sown or sowed

to scatter or place (seed, a crop, etc) in or on (a piece of ground, field, etc) so that it may growto sow wheat; to sow a strip of land

(tr) to implant or introduceto sow a doubt in someone's mind

Derived Formssowable, adjectivesower, noun

Word Origin for sow

Old English sāwan; related to Old Norse sā, Old High German sāen, Old Slavonic seja, Latin serere to sow

sow

noun

a female adult pig

the female of certain other animals, such as the mink

metallurgy

the channels for leading molten metal to the moulds in casting pig iron
iron that has solidified in these channels

Word Origin for sow

Old English sugu; related to Old Norse sӯr, Old High German sū, Latin sūs, Norwegian sugga, Dutch zeug: see swine

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 sow

Old English sawan "to scatter seed upon the ground or plant it in the earth, disseminate" (class VII strong verb; past tense seow, past participle sawen), from Proto-Germanic *sean (cf. Old Norse sa, Old Saxon saian, Middle Dutch sayen, Dutch zaaien, Old High German sawen, German säen, Gothic saian), from PIE root *se- (1) "to sow" (cf. Latin sero, past tense sevi, past participle satum "to sow;" Old Church Slavonic sejo, sejati; Lithuanian seju, seti "to sow"), source of semen, season (n.), seed (n.), etc. Figurative sense was in Old English.

Old English sugu, su "female of the swine," from Proto-Germanic *su- (cf. Old Saxon, Old High German su, German Sau, Dutch zeug, Old Norse syr), from PIE root *su- (cf. Sanskrit sukarah "wild boar, swine;" Avestan hu "wild boar;" Greek hys "swine;" Latin sus "swine," swinus "pertaining to swine;" Old Church Slavonic svinija "swine;" Lettish sivens "young pig;" Welsh hucc, Irish suig "swine; Old Irish socc "snout, plowshare"), possibly imitative of pig noise, a notion reinforced by the fact that Sanskrit sukharah means "maker of (the sound) 'su.' " Related to swine. As a term of abuse for a woman, attested from c.1500. Sow-bug "hog louse" is from 1750.

Idioms and Phrases with sow

sow

In addition to the idiom beginning with sow

sow one's wild oats

also see:

can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear