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row¹

(rō)

1. A series of objects placed next to each other, usually in a straight line.

2. A succession without a break or gap in time: won the title for three years in a row.

3. A line of adjacent seats, as in a theater, auditorium, or classroom.

4. A continuous line of buildings along a street.

tr.v. rowed, row·ing, rows

To place in a row.

Idiom:

a tough row to hoe Informal

A difficult situation to endure.

[Middle English, from Old English rāw.]

row²

(rō)

v. rowed, row·ing, rows

v.intr.
Nautical

To use an oar or pair of oars in propelling a boat, typically by facing the stern and pulling the oar handle toward oneself, using an oarlock as a fulcrum to push the blade backward through the water repeatedly.

v.tr.

1. Nautical

a. To propel (a boat) with oars.

b. To carry in or on a boat propelled by oars.

c. To use (a specified number of oars or people deploying them).

2. To propel or convey in a manner resembling rowing of a boat.

3. Sports

a. To pull (an oar) as part of a racing crew.

b. To race against by rowing.

n.
Nautical

a. The act or an instance of rowing.

b. A shift at the oars of a boat.

2. A trip or an excursion in a rowboat.

[Middle English rowen, from Old English rōwan; see erə- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

rower n.

row³

(rou)

1. A noisy or quarrel or disturbance.

2. A loud noise.

intr.v. rowed, row·ing, rows

To take part in a noisy quarrel or disturbance.

[Origin unknown.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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