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tow

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tow

1[toh] ,
–verb (used with object)
1. to pull or haul (a car, barge, trailer, etc.) by a rope, chain, or other device: The car was towed to the service station.
–noun
2. an act or instance of towing.
3. something being towed.
4. something, as a boat or truck, that tows.
5. a rope, chain, metal bar, or other device for towing: The trailer is secured to the car by a metal tow.
6. ski tow.
7. in tow,
a. in the state of being towed.
b. under one's guidance; in one's charge.
c. as a follower, admirer, or companion: a professor who always had a graduate student in tow.
8. under tow, in the condition of being towed; in tow.

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME towen (v.), OE togian to pull by force, drag; c. MHG zogen to draw, tug, drag. See tug


tow⋅a⋅ble, adjective
tow⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun


1. trail, draw, tug.

tow

2[toh] ,
–noun
1. the fiber of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning by scutching.
2. the shorter, less desirable flax fibers separated from line fibers in hackling.
3. synthetic filaments prior to spinning.
–adjective
4. made of tow.

Origin:
1300–50; ME; OE tōw- (in tōwlīc pertaining to thread, tōwhūs spinning house); akin to ON wool

tow

3[toh] ,
–noun Scot.
a rope.

Origin:
1425–75; late ME (Scots); OE toh- (in tohlīne towline); c. ON tog towline. See tow 1

TOW

[toh] ,
–noun
a U.S. Army antitank missile, steered to its target by two thin wires connected to a computerized launcher, which is mounted on a vehicle or helicopter.

Origin:
t(ube-launched,) o(ptically-guided,) w(ire-tracked missile)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tow
tow 1   (tō)   
tr.v.   towed, tow·ing, tows
To draw or pull behind by a chain or line: a tugboat towing a barge. See Synonyms at pull.
n.  
    1. The act or an instance of towing.

    2. The condition of being towed: a car with a trailer in tow.

  1. Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.

  2. Something, such as a barge or car, that is towed.

  3. A rope or cable used in towing.


[Middle English towen, from Old English togian; see deuk- in Indo-European roots.]
tow'a·ble adj., tow'er n.
tow 2   (tō)   
n.  Coarse broken flax or hemp fiber prepared for spinning. See Regional Note at gunnysack.

[Middle English, possibly from Old English tow-, spinning (in tow-cræft, spinning craft, spinning).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Bible Dictionary

Tow

(Judg. 16:9). See FLAX.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Idioms & Phrases

tow

see in tow.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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