farrow

You probably won't hear "farrow" in everyday conversation unless you're talking about farming. It mainly refers to a sow, or female pig, giving birth, and it can also mean the litter of piglets she has. While it sounds a lot like "furrow," which is a trench in the earth, this word belongs to the world of animals and farming. If you read about sows farrowing, it means the mother pigs are having their young.

The word "farrow" has a long history in farming language, coming from the Old English fearh, meaning a young pig. Unlike "furrow," which means a long trench in the soil, "farrow" is tied to livestock. Today, it is used mainly as a verb for the time when a sow gives birth. In practical farm use, the word often brings to mind not only the birth itself but also the period when the mother and her piglets need close care.

The term is also used as a noun for a litter of piglets born at one time, as in "a farrow of ten healthy piglets." In modern agriculture, you may also see related terms such as "farrowing rates," which measure how often sows give birth successfully, or "farrowing crates," which are enclosures meant to protect piglets during their first days or weeks of life.

Beyond pigs, "farrow" has also been used in older or specialized farming language for a cow that is not pregnant. This use is much less common than the pig-related one, but it does appear in some agricultural writing. Overall, the word gives a good glimpse into the precise, practical language used to describe animal life on a farm.