English Explanatory Dictionary

sew

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through (pieces of fabric) in order to join them together.
  2. To use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through pieces of fabric in order to join them together.
  3. Followed by into: to enclose by sewing.
verb
  1. To drain the water from.
  2. Of a ship, to be grounded.
noun
  1. Broth, gravy.

Pronunciation

/ˈsəʊ̯/ /ˈsɵ̞ʊ̯/ /ˈsoʊ̯/ /ˈsɔʊ̯/ en-us-sew.ogg /ˈsəʉ̯/ /ˈsɐ̝ʉ̯/ /sjuː/ /suː/

Word forms

sew sews sewing sewed sewn sewen no-table-tags glossary sewest sewedst seweth

Etymology

From Middle English sewen, seowen, sowen, from Old English siwian, seowian, seowan (“to sew, mend, patch, knit together, link, unite”), from Proto-Germanic *siwjaną (“to sew”), from Proto-Indo-European *syewH- (“to sew”). Cognate with Scots sew, North Frisian saie, sei, Saterland Frisian säie, Danish sy, Swedish sy, and, more distantly, Polish szyć, Russian шить (šitʹ), Latin suō, Sanskrit सीव्यति (sī́vyati). Related to seam.

Synonyms

stitch

Derived words

besew cut and sew homesewn missew no-sew outsew oversew presew resew re-sew sewability sewable sew buttons sew buttons on your underwear sewist sewless sewround sewster sew up sew-ups unsew fig-sew

Translations

Ainu: ケメィキ Aklanon: tahi' Northern Altai: кӧктӧерге Northern Altai: тигерге Southern Altai: тигер Arabic: خَاطَ Arabic: خَيَّطَ Armenian: կարել Aromanian: cos Assamese: সীয়া Assamese: চিলোৱা Bashkir: тегеү Bashkir: тегенеү Belarusian: шыць Bislama: somap Breton: gwriat Bulgarian: ши́я Burmese: ချုပ် Catalan: cosir Cebuano: tahi Chechen: тега Hakka Chinese: 攣 /挛 Chinese: 紩 /𮉢 Chinese Mandarin: 縫 /缝 Chinese Mandarin: 縫製 /缝制 Chinese Mandarin: 縫紉 /缝纫 Czech: šít Dalmatian: coser Danish: sy Dutch: naaien Esperanto: kudri Evenki: улли- Extremaduran: cosel Finnish: ommella French: coudre Friulian: cusî Galician: coser Georgian: კერვა German: nähen Gothic: 𐍃𐌹𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽 Greek: ράβω Ancient Greek: ῥάπτω Ancient Greek: κασσύω Greenlandic: mersorpaa Greenlandic: mersorpoq Haitian Creole: koud Hawaiian: humuhumu Hebrew: תָּפַר
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