# tow
## English
### Etymology 1

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.

#### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) enPR: tō, IPA: /təʊ/
* (General American) enPR: tō, IPA: /toʊ/
* Audio (Southern England):(file)
* Rhymes: -əʊ
* Homophone: toe

#### Verb

tow (third-person singular simple present tows, present participle towing, simple past and past participle towed)
* (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.
* (running, cycling, motor racing, etc.) To aid someone behind by shielding them from wind resistance.

##### Descendants

* → Welsh: towio

##### Translations
#### Noun

tow (plural tows)
* The act of towing and the condition of being towed.
    It isn't the car's battery; I think I need a tow.
* Something, such as a tugboat, that tows.
* Something, such as a barge, that is towed.
* A rope or cable used in towing.
* (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: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.

##### Derived terms

* in tow
* on tow
* ski tow
* tow bar
* tow hitch
* tow iron
* tow ring
* tow rope
* tow truck
* towy
* under tow
* undertow

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

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”).

#### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) enPR: tō, IPA: /təʊ/
* (General American) enPR: tō, IPA: /toʊ/
* (rare, some parts of the UK and Australia) enPR: tou, IPA: /taʊ/
** Audio (Southern England):(file)
** Audio (Southern England):(file)

#### Noun

tow (countable and uncountable, plural tows)
* 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.
* (specifically) The short, coarse, less desirable fibres separated by hackling from the finer longer fibres (line).

##### Synonyms

* hards, oakum

##### Derived terms

* swingling tow
* tow-colored
* tow-haired
* tow haired
* towhead
* towheaded
* tow linen
* towy

##### Related terms

* taw

##### Translations
### References

* ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “tow”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

### Anagrams

* OTW, WTO, owt, two, wot

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

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

### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /tɔu̯/
* Rhymes: -ɔu̯

### Noun

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

#### Descendants

* English: tow
* Scots: towe

#### References

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