Sowing
/ˈsoʊɪŋ/noun
The act of scattering seeds on or into the ground for growth.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to throw,” which is why English also has distant relatives like “seed,” “semen,” and “sow” in the sense of planting and spreading.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*seh₁-
“to sow, scatter”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sāwaną
“to sow, plant seed”
Old English
OE
sāwan
“to sow, scatter seed”
Middle English
ME
sowe(n)
“to sow seeds”
Modern English
English
sowing
“the act of planting seeds by scattering them”