harrow
UK /ˈhæɹəʊ/ · US /ˈhæɹoʊ/ noun, verb, interjection, proper noun
Forms harrows harrowing harrowed
- noun A device consisting of a heavy framework having several disks or teeth in a row, which is dragged across ploughed land to smooth or break up the soil, to remove weeds or cover seeds; a harrow plow.
- noun (military) An obstacle formed by turning an ordinary harrow upside down, the frame being buried.
- verb (transitive) To drag a harrow over; to break up with a harrow.
- verb (transitive) To traumatize or disturb; to torment, distress or vex.
- verb (transitive) To break or tear, as if with a harrow; to wound; to lacerate.
- interjection (obsolete) A call for help, or of distress, alarm etc.
- proper noun A town in northwestern Greater London, England, historically in the county of Middlesex.
- proper noun A London borough of Greater London, England.
- proper noun A locality in the Shire of Southern Grampians and the Shire of West Wimmera, south western Victoria, Australia.
- proper noun A prestigious public school for boys, in the town of Harrow.
- proper noun A surname originating as an occupation for a harrower.
Synonyms
anguish distress trouble afflict lacerate aggrieve plague atray cag engrieve grame harass harry torment vex rend wring damage harm torture disk
Etymology
From Middle English harwe, harow, from Old English *hearwa (perhaps ultimately cognate with harvest), or from Old Norse harfr/herfi; compare Danish harve (“harrow”), Dutch hark (“rake”). Akin to Latin carpere. According to the OED, the verb senses are partly derived from the noun sense, partly from a by-form of the verb harry, itself from Old English hergian.
From Middle English harrow, harrowe, haro, from Old French haro, harou, harau, harol, from Frankish *harot, *hara (“here; hither”), from *hēr. Akin to Old Saxon herod, Old High German herot, Middle Dutch hare.
From Old English hearg (“altar; grove, temple”), from Proto-Germanic *harugaz.
From harrow.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An implement of agriculture, usually formed of pieces of timber or metal crossing each other, and set with iron or wooden teeth. It is drawn over plowed land to level it and break the clods, to stir the soil and make it fine, or to cover seed when sown.
- noun An obstacle formed by turning an ordinary harrow upside down, the frame being buried. Bush harrow, a kind of light harrow made of bushes, for harrowing grass lands and covering seeds, or to finish the work of a toothed harrow.
- verb To draw a harrow over, as for the purpose of breaking clods and leveling the surface, or for covering seed; as, to harrow land.
- verb To break or tear, as with a harrow; to wound; to lacerate; to torment or distress; to vex. My aged muscles harrowed up with whips. Rowe.
Etymology [OE. harowen, harwen; cf. Dan. harve. See Harrow, n.]
Etymology [OF. harau, haro; fr. OHG. hara, hera, herot, or fr. OS. herod hither, akin to E. here.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “harrow”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details