sower

American  

[soh-er] / ˈsoʊ ər /

noun

1. a person, machine, or device that scatters seed over the earth for the purpose of growth.

   The plows went up and down the fields, the sowers plodding after them.

   This sower has a capacity of 6 bags of grass seed, ideal for use on small farms or golf courses.

2. a person who introduces or seeks to foster a certain attitude, feeling, condition, etc., in others.

   The Mayan god Tezcatlipoca, thought to incite wars, was called Necocyautl, meaning "sower of discord on both sides."

---

Etymology

Origin of sower

sow ¹ ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

Gill explains that in Mark chapter 4, the English text reads: "A sower went out to sow."

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2022

And when he violates her trust, she transforms into a sower of chaos.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2022

"The sower of the wind, as they say, will reap the storm."

From Reuters • Oct. 27, 2022

Recall the Bible’s parable of the sower, whose first batches of seeds were devoured by birds, languished in inadequate soil, and withered under a scorching sun.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 23, 2019

He sends studies for paintings to Émile Bernard: haystacks, fishing boats, a row of cottages, a sower with the setting sun, a harvest scene, and washerwomen at a canal with a bridge.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Related Words

• grower
• laborer
• peasant
• producer
• rancher