Meanings
plural plowshares
- USalternativeAlternative spelling of ploughshare.
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 2:4
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishplowgh-schare
- Englishplowshare
From Middle English plowgh-schare, plowh schare, equivalent to plow + share. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Plouchskoar (“ploughshare”), West Frisian ploechskaar (“ploughshare”), Dutch ploegschaar (“ploughshare”), German Low German Ploogschoor (“ploughshare”), German Pflugschar (“ploughshare”), Danish plovskær (“ploughshare”), Norwegian plogskjær (“ploughshare”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English culter (“ploughshare”), from Old English culter (“ploughshare, coulter, dagger”), borrowed from Latin culter (“knife, razor”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
plowshare. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plowshare
“plowshare.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plowshare. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “plowshare,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plowshare.
Source: plowshare on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.