Sow and sow are two words that are spelled identically but are pronounced differently and have different meanings, which makes them heteronyms. We will examine the definitions of the words sow and sow, where these words came from, and a few examples of their use in sentences.
Sow (soh) is a verb that means to plant seeds and may be used literally or figuratively. A farmer may sow a field of corn. A lawyer may sow doubt in the minds of a jury. The word sow is derived from the Old English word sawan, which means to scatter seed or to plant the earth. Related words are sows, sowed, sown, sowing.
Sow (sow) is a noun that means a female pig, particularly an adult that has given birth to a litter of piglets. The plural form of sow is sows. The word sow is derived from the Old English words sugu or su, which means a female pig or hog.
Examples
This is what made us able to cooperate and conquer other tribes, domesticate animals, plant and sow crops, build machines and engines, build computers that are cognitively superior to us, and build communication devices. (Forbes Magazine)
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified this month that Russian efforts “to sow discord on both sides of an issue and to generate controversy and to generate distrust in our democratic institutions on our election process” have “never stopped.” (The Washington Examiner)
One facet where humans will never, and can never, be replaced is in the barns where the care of sows, piglets and hogs is at stake. (National Hog Farmer Magazine)