Word of the Day: Mow
mow
mow / mou as a noun; mō as a verb
noun
1. in a barn, the place where hay or grain is stored
The stables were on either side of this floor and the mows were above.
From “Sheila of Big Wreck Cove” by James A. Cooper, 1910 – 1935
2. a stack of hay or grain in a barn
Our old shepherd dog had been nosing the mow near us for rats.
From “The Light in the Clearing” by Irving Bacheller, 1859 – 1950
3. (archaic) a grimace; an ugly facial expression of disgust or pain
Before you can say ‘come’ and ‘go,’
And breathe twice and cry ‘so, so,’
Each one, tripping on his toe,
Will be here with mop and mow.
From “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare, 1564 – 1616
verb
1. to cut down hay, grass, grain, etc. using a sharp tool or piece of equipment
I always thought a yard was three feet, then I started mowing the lawn.
Lettie Cowman, 1870 – 1960
2. to kill or destroy large numbers, without mercy
The more you mow us down, the more numerous we grow; the blood of Christians is seed.
Tertullian, 160 – 220
3. to knock down
In an instant pandemonium reigned, for the heavy boulder had mowed down a score of the pursuers, breaking arms and legs in its meteoric descent.
From “The Monster Men” by Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1875 – 1950
4. to overwhelm
As one by one I mowed them down, my superiority soon became apparent.
Jose Raul Capablanca, 1888 – 1942
5. to make a grimace
New-born, of course, she looked already a centenarian, tottering on the brink of an old crone’s grave, exhausted, shrunken, bald as Voltaire, mopping, mowing and twisting wrinkled claws in speechless spasms of querulous doom.
From “The Firstborn” by Laurie Lee, 1914 – 1997
