verb

sow

SOH/səʊ/

To scatter seeds for growth.

A woman kneels by a garden bed and sows seeds.

An older woman kneels beside a small garden bed, dropping seeds from her fingertips into a shallow furrow in the soil.

Etymology

Old English sawan already covered both scattering seed upon the ground and planting it in the earth. The modern planting sense preserves that practical agricultural meaning.

In context

Chronicle - Medieval History Documentaries24:54

Potatoes didn't arrive in Britain until the 1580s. To sow their peas, they are seeking guidance from a Tudor farming manual

What It Was Like To Live On A Medieval Farm As A Peasant | Tudor Monastery | Chronicle

More examples

We sow lettuce seeds directly in the soil each spring.
The freshly sown seeds need regular watering.
His careless remarks sow doubt among the team.

Forms

sow · sows · sowed · sown · sowing

sower noun — A person who scatters seeds for planting.

Similar words

plant: Also covers putting young plants, not just seeds, into soil.
seed: Emphasizes supplying an area with seeds, especially a lawn.