What does resow mean?
Resow is a verb meaning to sow again, usually by placing seed into the same or a previously cleared area. Its most common use is agricultural: after a crop has failed because of poor germination, weather, pests, or another problem, a farmer may resow the field. Gardeners can also resow bare patches where seeds did not take. The word combines the prefix re-, meaning “again,” with sow, meaning to plant seed. Unlike the general verb sow, which simply describes putting seed into soil, resow emphasizes repetition. It can occasionally be used figuratively to describe restoring or replacing something that has failed, but its literal agricultural meaning is dominant. Resow is distinct from reseed, which may imply supplying or replacing seed without necessarily emphasizing a second sowing in the same place.
verbTo sow seed again, especially in the same or a previously cleared field. It can also mean to plant a crop in an area where one has already failed.
- To sow seed again in a field, plot, or area, especially after a previous sowing has failed or been harvested.
"After the seedlings were damaged by frost, the farmers decided to resow the field."
"The farmer resowed the northern field because the first crop had not germinated."
"Gardeners often resow bare patches of soil after seedlings are removed or fail to survive."
A failed crop can get a second chance: to resow is literally to start sowing again.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does resow come from?
Resow was formed in English by combining the prefix re-, meaning “again,” with sow, the inherited English word for putting seed into the ground. Sow descends from Old English sāwian, ultimately from a Germanic and Indo-European root associated with sowing or seeding. The prefixed form developed as a straightforward agricultural term for sowing a plot or field a second time.
Related word forms
How resow is actually used
Resow is most natural in agricultural, gardening, and horticultural contexts. It may also be used figuratively for replacing something that has failed, though such usage is less common than the literal agricultural sense.
Easily confused with resow
Sow means to put seed into the ground, while resow means to do so again in the same place or in a previously sown area.