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tower

 - 9 dictionary results

tow⋅er

1  [tou-er]
Use tower in a Sentence
–noun
1. a building or structure high in proportion to its lateral dimensions, either isolated or forming part of a building.
2. such a structure used as or intended for a stronghold, fortress, prison, etc.
3. any of various fully enclosed fireproof housings for vertical communications, as staircases, between the stories of a building.
4. any structure, contrivance, or object that resembles or suggests a tower.
5. a tall, movable structure used in ancient and medieval warfare in storming a fortified place.
6. a tall, vertical case with accessible horizontal drive bays, designed to house a computer system standing on a desk or floor. Compare minitower.
7. Aviation. control tower.
–verb (used without object)
8. to rise or extend far upward, as a tower; reach or stand high: The skyscraper towers above the city.
9. to rise above or surpass others: She towers above the other students.
10. Falconry. (of a hawk) to rise straight into the air; to ring up.
—Idiom
11. tower of strength, a person who can be relied on for support, aid, or comfort, esp. in times of difficulty.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME tour, earlier tur, tor < OF < L turris < Gk týrris, var. of týrsis tower; ME tor perh. in some cases continuing OE torr < L turris, as above; (v.) late ME touren, deriv. of the n.

Related forms:
tow⋅er⋅less, adjective
tow⋅er⋅like, adjective

tow⋅er

2  [toh-er]
–noun
a person or thing that tows.
Origin:
1485–95; tow 1 + -er 1

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 tō wool

control tower

 
–noun
a glass-enclosed, elevated structure for the visual observation and control of the air and ground traffic at an airport.
Also called tower.

Origin:
1915–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tower
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.

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

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

  4. 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·er   (tou'ər)   
n.  

  1. A building or part of a building that is exceptionally high in proportion to its width and length.

  2. A tall, slender structure used for observation, signaling, or pumping.

  3. One that conspicuously embodies strength, firmness, or another virtue.

  4. Computer Science A computer system whose components are arranged in a vertical stack and housed in a tall, narrow cabinet.

intr.v.   tow·ered, tow·er·ing, tow·ers

  1. To appear at or rise to a conspicuous height; loom: "There he stood, grown suddenly tall, towering above them" (J.R.R. Tolkien). See Synonyms at rise.

  2. To fly directly upward before swooping or falling. Used of certain birds.

  3. To demonstrate great superiority; be preeminent: towers over other poets of the day.


[Middle English tur, tour, towr, from Old English torr and from Old French tur, both from Latin turris, probably from Greek tursis, turris.]
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

tow  (n.)
"coarse, broken fibers of flax, hemp, etc.," 1377, probably from O.E. tow- "spinning" (in towlic "fit for spinning"), perhaps cognate with Gothic taujan "to do, make," M.Du. touwen "to knit, weave." Tow-head, in ref. to tousled blond hair, is recorded from 1830.

tower 
O.E. torr, from L. turris "high structure" (cf. O.Fr. tor, 11c.; Sp., It. torre "tower"), possibly from a pre-I.E. Mediterranean language. Also borrowed separately 13c. as tour, from O.Fr. tur. The modern spelling first recorded in 1526. Meaning "lofty pile or mass" is recorded from 1340. The verb is attested from c.1400.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

tower

In addition to the idiom beginning with tower, also see ivory tower

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