See also: Tow, TOW, tow., and tow-

English edit

 
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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

Verb edit

tow (third-person singular simple present tows, present participle towing, simple past and past participle towed)

  1. (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.
  2. (running, cycling, motor racing, etc.) To aid someone behind by shielding them from wind resistance.
Descendants edit
  • Welsh: towio
Translations edit

Noun edit

 
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tow (plural tows)

  1. The act of towing and the condition of being towed.
    It isn't the car's battery; I think I need a tow.
  2. Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.
  3. Something, such as a barge, that is towed.
  4. A rope or cable used in towing.
  5. (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

 
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From Middle English touw, from Old English tow- (spinning) (in compounds, e.g. towcræft, towhūs, towlic), from Proto-Germanic *tawwą; compare Old Norse (uncleansed wool), Dutch touw (rope). Perhaps cognate with Old English tawian (prepare for use), Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽 (taujan, do, make).[1]

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

tow (countable and uncountable, plural tows)

  1. An untwisted bundle of fibres such as cellulose acetate, flax, hemp or jute.
  2. (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

  1. ^ 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

  1. Unprepared flax, especially used as a firestarter.
  2. The fibrous matter of flax or a similar plant; (tow).
  3. Oakum, hards; the rough portion of flax separated during hackling.

Descendants edit

References edit