tow
English[edit]
Etymology 1[edit]
From Middle English towen, from Old English togian, from Proto-West Germanic *togōn, from Proto-Germanic *tugōną, from Proto-Indo-European *dewk-.
See also Middle High German zogen, German ziehen, Dutch tijgen, Old Norse toga.
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: tō, IPA(key): /təʊ/
- (General American) enPR: tō, IPA(key): /toʊ/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - Rhymes: -əʊ
- Homophone: toe
Verb[edit]
tow (third-person singular simple present tows, present participle towing, simple past and past participle towed)
- (transitive) To pull something behind one using a line or chain; to haul.
- 2022 September 7, “At the cutting edge of NR's track work”, in RAIL, number 965, page 40, photo caption:
- In its current specification it cannot be driven and must be towed to its work location by a locomotive.
- (running, cycling, motor racing, etc.) To aid someone behind by shielding them from wind resistance.
Descendants[edit]
- → Welsh: towio
Translations[edit]
|
Noun[edit]
tow (plural tows)
- The act of towing and the condition of being towed.
- It isn't the car's battery; I think I need a tow.
- Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.
- Something, such as a barge, that is towed.
- A rope or cable used in towing.
- (motor racing) A speed increase given by driving in front of another car on a straight, which causes a slipstream for the car behind.
- 2019 September 8, Andrew Benson, BBC Sport[1]:
- On Saturday, Vettel was very unhappy with Leclerc's failure to work out a way through the traffic and give him a tow for the second runs in qualifying, as had been agreed.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
|
|
Etymology 2[edit]
From Middle English touw, from Old English tow- (“spinning”) (in compounds, e.g. towcræft, towhūs, towlic), from Proto-Germanic *tawwą; compare Old Norse tó (“uncleansed wool”), Dutch touw (“rope”). Perhaps cognate with Old English tawian (“prepare for use”), Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽 (taujan, “do, make”).[1]
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: tō, IPA(key): /təʊ/
- (General American) enPR: tō, IPA(key): /toʊ/
- (rare, some parts of the UK and Australia) enPR: tou, IPA(key): /taʊ/
Noun[edit]
tow (countable and uncountable, plural tows)
- An untwisted bundle of fibres such as cellulose acetate, flax, hemp or jute.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 1:31:
- And the strong shall be as towe, and the maker of it as a sparke, and they shall both burne together, and none shall quench them.
- (specifically) The short, coarse, less desirable fibres separated by hackling from the finer longer fibres (line).
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
|
References[edit]
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “tow”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams[edit]
Middle English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old English tow-, from Proto-Germanic *tawwą; for more see English tow.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
tow
- Unprepared flax, especially used as a firestarter.
- The fibrous matter of flax or a similar plant; (tow).
- Oakum, hards; the rough portion of flax separated during hackling.
Descendants[edit]
References[edit]
- “tou, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-27.
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dewk-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/əʊ
- Rhymes:English/əʊ/1 syllable
- English terms with homophones
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with quotations
- en:Cycling
- en:Motor racing
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *dewh₂-
- English uncountable nouns
- English heteronyms
- en:Fibers
- en:Flax
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Middle English/ɔu̯
- Rhymes:Middle English/ɔu̯/1 syllable
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns