What does lowed mean?
Lowed is the past tense and past participle of low, a verb with several related meanings. In its most general sense, it means brought or moved down, as when someone lowers an object or reduces a sound. It can also refer to speaking in a softer voice, or to calling cattle with the low, prolonged sound characteristic of cattle. The form is common in American English and survives particularly in dialectal, literary, and agricultural contexts. In older and regional usage, “lowing” can evoke the call of cattle across a field, while “lowed” may describe both the animal’s sound and the farmer’s action of gathering or driving the herd. Although the more usual contemporary forms are “lowered” and “lowered one’s voice,” lowed remains a recognizable and expressive word.
verbThe past tense and past participle of low. It can mean brought or moved down, made lower, or spoken in a soft voice; in agricultural contexts, it can mean called or driven cattle with the characteristic low sound.
- Brought or moved down; made lower.
- Spoken quietly or in a low voice.
- Called or driven cattle with a low sound.
"She lowed her voice so that only he could hear her."
"The farmer lowed the cattle toward the barn."
"He lowed the rope until the bucket reached the well."
A word that can describe lowering a voice, lowering a rope, or cattle announcing their presence with a prolonged low.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lowed come from?
The form is the past tense and past participle of low. Its older senses developed through Middle English, with the “bring down” sense associated with the adjective low and the cattle-related sense reflecting the Old English verb hlōwan, meaning “to moo.” In modern English, lowed is especially associated with American, dialectal, and literary usage.
Related word forms
How lowed is actually used
The form is especially associated with American English, dialectal speech, and literary or traditional usage. The cattle-related sense may sound archaic or regional to speakers of standard modern English.
Easily confused with lowed
Lowed means brought down or made quieter, whereas loaded means carrying a load or, in another sense, equipped with ammunition.