Tow Definition
Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.
- In a condition of being towed:
a car with a trailer in tow.
- Under close guidance; in one's charge:
The new student was taken in tow by a peer counselor.
- being towed
- in one's company or retinue
Other Word Forms of Tow
Noun
Origin of Tow
Origin uncertain; compare Old Norse tó (“uncleansed wool"), Old English tow- (“spinning") (in compounds, e.g. towcræft, towhÅ«s), perhaps cognate with Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽 (taujan, “do, make").
From Wiktionary
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Old English toÄ¡ian, from Proto-Germanic *tugōnÄ… (German ziehen, Dutch tijgen), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk-.
From Wiktionary
Middle English possibly from Old English tow- spinning (in towcræft spinning craft, spinning)
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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Middle English towen from Old English togian deuk- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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