What does vrow mean?
Vrow is an obsolete English spelling of prow, the forward-pointing part of a ship or other vessel, often especially the part where the bow rises above the water. In older writing, one might describe a warrior standing at the vrow or say that the wind struck the vessel's vrow. The form has no independent meaning: passages using it should generally be read with prow substituted. Today it is encountered chiefly in historical texts, quotations, dictionaries, and discussions of archaic vocabulary rather than in ordinary contemporary English. Because it differs from the standard modern spelling chiefly in its opening letter, it can look unusual, but it belonged to the language's earlier spelling practices. Its appearance also provides a glimpse of how English writers represented the same basic word differently in different periods. For modern use, prow is the appropriate form, with its familiar nautical associations intact.
nounAn obsolete spelling variant of prow, the forward part of a ship or other vessel.
- The forward part of a ship or other vessel, especially the projecting bow.
"The figurehead stood proudly at the vrow of the galleon."
"The pirate ship turned its vrow toward the harbour entrance."
"In his history of the voyage, the author described the vessel's damaged vrow."
The regular historical spelling is vrows; modern usage normally has prows.
"The two vrows faced each other across the dock."
One letter separates vrow from prow—and centuries separate it from everyday use.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vrow
Vrow is an obsolete spelling variant of prow rather than a separately formed word. Prow entered Middle English from Old French prue and ultimately from Latin prora, a borrowing of Greek prōra, meaning the front or bow of a ship. Thus vrow and prow share the same historical source, even though only prow remains standard in modern English.
How vrow is actually used
Obsolete and literary; it is encountered chiefly in historical texts, quotations, and discussions of archaic vocabulary.
Easily confused with vrow
Prow is the standard modern spelling, while vrow is an obsolete spelling variant with the same meaning.