Harrow
/ˈhær.oʊ/
nounverbB2
Definition
As a noun, a harrow is a tool that farmers use to prepare the soil by breaking it into smaller pieces and making it smooth before planting seeds. As a verb, harrow means to use this tool on the land or, in a more emotional sense, to cause someone to feel strong sadness or worry.
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See It in Action
Noun: A farming tool with spikes or disks used to break up and smooth soil
- •The farmer used the harrow to prepare the field for planting.
- •After plowing, the harrow makes the soil fine and even.
- •Harrows come in different sizes depending on the farm's needs.
Verb: To break up and smooth the ground with a harrow
- •They harrowed the field before sowing the seeds.
- •The tractor pulled the harrow across the land to make it soft.
Verb (figurative): To cause someone deep emotional pain or distress
- •The news of the accident harrowed her deeply.
- •His story about losing his home harrowed the whole community.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "harrow" like "rake" (A1 word), but a harrow is bigger and works on soil to make it smooth and ready for plants.
- ✓Picture a farmer pulling a wide tool with many teeth across a field, breaking big clumps of dirt into small bits.
- ✓It's the feeling when something troubles you deeply, like a hard problem that sticks in your mind.
- ✓Sounds like "HARE-oh" → Imagine a fast hare (rabbit) running quickly over rough ground, smoothing it as it goes.
- ✓In stories, farmers prepare their land with a harrow before planting seeds to help plants grow well.
- ✓As a verb, NOT like "dig" (which makes big holes), "harrow" breaks and smooths the surface.
- ✓Emotionally, NOT like "sad" (mild feeling), "harrow" means strong, deep distress or pain inside.
Try Other Words
- •Cultivate: to prepare land for crops (Use when focusing on general soil preparation)
- •Plow: to turn over the earth (Use when breaking the soil deeply before harrowing)
- •Distress: to cause worry or sadness (Use when talking about emotional pain)
- •Trouble: to cause emotional or mental pain (Use in less strong emotional contexts)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: (no clear prefix or suffix; root "harrow" is the whole word)
- •Etymology: From Old English "hergian," meaning to harrow or plunder, later used for the farming tool
- •Historical development: Originally related to farming and breaking soil, later also used figuratively for emotional suffering
- •Modern usage: Common in farming contexts and in literature or speech to describe deep emotional pain or distress
Reflect & Connect
•How might the physical action of using a harrow relate to the feeling of emotional distress described by the verb?
•Can you think of a time when something "harrowed" your feelings or thoughts deeply?
Fill in the blanks
1.The farmer used a harrow to ___ the soil before planting the seeds.
2.After plowing, the field needs to be ___ with a harrow to make it smooth.
3.The story of the lost child ___ the hearts of everyone who heard it.
4.Harrowing a field is different from plowing because it ___ the surface rather than turning it over.
5.When someone is emotionally harrowed, they often feel ___ and worried for a long time.
6.The tractor pulled the harrow ___ across the land to prepare it for crops.
7.Unlike a rake, a harrow is used on ___ areas of land to break up soil deeply.