hoe
/hoʊ/
noun
Origin
Old French
houe — hoe
Overview
Meaning Now
- A long-handled gardening tool with a thin metal blade, used for weeding or loosening soil.
- A similar tool used for scraping or leveling surfaces.
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
howe
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The hoe is one of the oldest agricultural implements, predating the plow. Its design has changed very little over millennia, transitioning from sharpened stone or wood to metal.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*hauwō
“a tool for hewing or cutting”
- Old French
houe
“hoe”
borrowed from a Germanic source
- Middle English
howe
“gardening tool”
- Early Modern English
ho
“gardening tool”
- Modern English
hoe
“gardening tool”
Connections
Word parts
hoe
root
gardening tool
Related across languages
German
Haue
pickaxe/hoe
Dutch
houw
hew/strike
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.