tow

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.

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: tō, IPA^(key): /təʊ/
• (General American) enPR: tō, IPA^(key): /toʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊ
• Homophone: toe

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

1. (transitive) To pull something behind one, such as by using a line, chain, or tongue.

   Near-synonyms: draw, haul, pull

   • 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.

• → Welsh: towio

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.

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]

• (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/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

tow (countable and uncountable, plural tows)

1. 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.

2. (specifically) The short, coarse, less desirable fibres separated by hackling from the finer longer fibres (line).

• hards, oakum

• taw

• OTW, WTO, owt, two, wot

• towe, towȝ, towȝe, tough, towhe, togh, tawe, toow

From Old English tow-, from Proto-Germanic *tawwą; for more see English tow.

• IPA^(key): /tɔu̯/
• Rhymes: -ɔu̯

tow

1. Unprepared flax, especially used as a firestarter.
   • 1925, Stanley John Weyman, “XVI A Golden Haze”, in Queen's Folly:

     For if men were fire, women were tow, and she should learn that lesson.

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

• English: tow
• Scots: towe

• “tou, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-05-27.