noun The green border of a field, dug up in order to carry the earth to other land to mend it: so called because laid in rows and exposed to the wind.
Entries linking to windrow
“series of people or things in a more or less straight line,” Middle English reue, from late Old English reawe, rewe, earlier ræw “a row, line; succession, hedge-row,” probably from Proto-Germanic *rai(h)waz (source also of Middle Dutch rie, Dutch rij “row;” Old High German rihan “to thread,” riga “line;” German Reihe “row, line, series;” Old Norse rega “string”), which is possibly from PIE root *rei- “to scratch, tear, cut” (source also of Sanskrit rikhati “scratches,” rekha “line”).
The meaning “a number of houses in a line” is attested from mid-14c., according to OED chiefly Scottish and northern English. The meaning “line of seats in a theater” is by 1710. The meaning “line of plants in a field or garden” is by 1733, hence the figurative phrase hard row to hoe attested from 1823, American English.
“air in motion,” Old English wind “wind,” from Proto-Germanic *winda- (source also of Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Dutch wind, Old Norse vindr, Old High German wind, German Wind, Gothic winds), from PIE *wē-nt-o‑ “blowing,” suffixed (participial) form of root *we- “to blow.”
Normal pronunciation evolution made this word rhyme with kind and rind (Donne rhymes it with mind and Thomas Moore with behind), but it shifted to a short vowel 18c., probably from influence of windy, where the short vowel is natural. A sad loss for poets, who now must rhyme it only with sinned and a handful of weak words. Symbolic of emptiness and vanity since late 13c.
Meaning “breath” is attested from late Old English; especially “breath in speaking” (early 14c.), so long-winded, also “easy or regular breathing” (early 14c.), hence second wind in the figurative sense (by 1830), an from the sport of hunting.
Winds “wind instruments of an orchestra” is from 1876. Figurative phrase which way the wind blows for “the current state of affairs” is suggested from c. 1400. To get wind of “receive information about” is by 1809, perhaps inspired by French avoir le vent de. To take the wind out of (ones) sails in the figurative sense (by 1883) is an from sailing, where a ship without wind can make no progress. Wind-chill index is recorded from 1939. Wind energy from 1976. Wind vane from 1725.
Windrow plowing available in some GTA communities
FAQ
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What does windrow mean?
Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! The meaning of WINDROW is a row of hay raked up to dry before being baled or stored. How to use windrow in a sentence.
How is a hay windrow formed?
For hay, the windrow is often formed by a hay rake, which rakes hay that has been cut by a mowing machine or by scythe into a row, or it may naturally form as the hay is mown. For small grain crops which are to be harvested, the windrow is formed by a swather which both cuts the crop and forms the windrow.
What is a windrow in physics?
windrow A streak of foam or row of floating debris, aligned in the prevailing wind direction, formed on the surface of a lake or ocean. Where winds blow across a water surface, vertical circulation cells are set up in near-surface waters.
How do windrows form?
These circulation cells are alternately right- and left-handed vortices, and windrows form along the lines of convergence between adjacent cells at the water surface. *windrow* A streak of foam or row of floating debris, aligned in the prevailing wind direction, formed on the surface of a lake or ocean.