sow
sow1 / sō/ • v. (past sowed; past part. sown / sōn/ or sowed) [tr.] plant (seed) by scattering it on or in the earth: fill a pot with compost and sow a thin layer of seeds on top. ∎ plant the seeds of (a plant or crop): the corn had just been sown. ∎ plant (a piece of land) with seed: the field used to be sown with oats. ∎ (be sown with) be thickly covered with: we walked through a valley sown with boulders. ∎ cause to appear or spread: the new policy has sown confusion and doubt.PHRASES: sow the seeds (or seed) of do something that will eventually bring about (a particular result, esp. a disastrous one): the seeds of dissension had been sown.DERIVATIVES: sow·er n.sow2 / sou/ • n. 1. an adult female pig, esp. one that has farrowed. ∎ the female of certain other mammals, e.g., the guinea pig.2. a large block of metal (larger than a “pig”) made by smelting.
