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mow

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mow

1[moh] verb, mowed, mowed or mown, mow⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to cut down (grass, grain, etc.) with a scythe or a machine.
2. to cut grass, grain, etc., from: to mow the lawn.
–verb (used without object)
3. to cut down grass, grain, etc.
4. mow down,
a. to destroy or kill indiscriminately or in great numbers, as troops in battle.
b. to defeat, overwhelm, or overcome: The team mowed down its first four opponents.
c. to knock down.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME mowen, OE māwan; c. G mähen

mow

2[mou]
–noun
1. the place in a barn where hay, sheaves of grain, etc., are stored.
2. a heap or pile of hay or of sheaves of grain in a barn.
–verb (used with object)
3. Chiefly Northern and North Midland U.S. to store (hay) in a barn.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME mow(e), OE mūwa, mūha, mūga; c. ON mūgi swath

mow

3[mou, moh] Archaic.
–noun
1. a wry or derisive grimace.
–verb (used without object)
2. to make mows, mouths, or grimaces.
Also, mowe.


Origin:
1275–1325; ME mowe < MF moue lip, pout, OF moe < Frankish; akin to MD mouwe protruded lip
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mow 1   (mou)   
n.  
  1. The place in a barn where hay, grain, or other feed is stored.

  2. A stack of hay or other feed stored in a barn.


[Middle English, stack of hay, from Old English mūga.]
mow 2   (mō)   
v.   mowed, mowed or mown (mōn), mow·ing, mows

v.   tr.
  1. To cut down (grass or grain) with a scythe or a mechanical device.

  2. To cut (grass or grain) from: mow the lawn.

v.   intr.
To cut down grass or other growth.
Phrasal Verb(s):
mow down
  1. To destroy in great numbers as if cutting down, as in battle.

  2. To overwhelm: mowed down the opposition with strong arguments.


[Middle English mowen, from Old English māwan; see mē-4 in Indo-European roots.]
mow'er (mō'ər) n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

mow  (v.)
O.E. mawan (class VII strong verb; past tense meow, pp. mawen), from P.Gmc. *mæanan (cf. M.L.G. maeyen, Du. maaien, Ger. mähen "to mow," O.E. mæd "meadow"), from PIE base *me- "to mow" (cf. poetic Gk. amao, L. metere, It. mietere, Welsh medi).

mow  (n.)
"stack of hay," O.E. muga, muwa "a heap, swath of corn, crowd of people," earlier muha, from P.Gmc. *mugon (cf. O.N. mugr "a heap," mostr "crowd").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
MOW
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The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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