Tow
/taʊ/noun
A coarse, broken fiber of flax, hemp, or jute separated during processing.
Did you know?In older English, *tow* was the scrap fiber spun into coarse cloth, and its history is tied to the same ancient root that also gave English *tug* and *tow* in the sense of pulling.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*teu-
“to swell, be strong; to push or thrust”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*tūhō / *taw-
“to pull, draw, or tug”
Old English
English
tāh / tow
“coarse flax fiber separated in processing”
Middle English
English
tow
“coarse, broken fiber used for spinning rough yarn”
Modern English
English
tow
“coarse fiber of flax, hemp, or jute”