windrow

W4I1N1D2R1O1W4
/ˈwɪnd.ɹəʊ/

noun

A row of cut grain or hay allowed to dry in a field.

UncommonScrabble 14

Meanings

nounwindrow (plural windrows)

plural windrows

  1. A row of cut grain or hay allowed to dry in a field.
  2. A line of leaves etc heaped up by the wind.
  3. A similar streak of seaweed etc on the surface of the sea formed by Langmuir circulation.
  4. A line of gravel left behind by the edge of a grader’s blade.
    1. broadlyA ridge or berm at a perimeter
  5. CanadaA line of snow left behind by the edge of a snowplow’s blade.
    1. CanadabroadlyA long snowbank along the side of a road.
  6. UKThe green border of a field, dug up in order to carry the earth onto other land to improve it.
verbwindrow (third-person singular simple present windrows, present participle windrowing, simple past and past participle windrowed)

present singular third person windrows · participle present windrowing · participle past windrowed · past windrowed

  1. transitiveTo arrange (e.g. new-made hay) in lines or windrows.

    Using a motor grader to windrow the pulverized reclaimed material.

    1990, J. A. Epps, Transportation Research Board, NCHRP Synthesis of Highway Practice, ISSN 0547-5570, “Cold-Recycled Bituminous Concrete Using Bituminous Materials”, “Blade Mixing”, page 13
    2 more examples

    This cool spell favored the cane shipped to some extent, for if the weather had remained as warm for three or four days as it was Friday, all the cane that was windrowed after the freeze would have been lost and much of it that was windrowed before the freeze would have met a like fate.

    1899, January 7, correspondent P.C.M., The Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer, volume 22, number 1, “Vermilion”, page 7

    Threshing a previously windrowed swath (windrowing) or cutting and threshing the crop in one operation (direct heading) are the common methods of harvesting oilseed rape.

    1979, Ralph E. H. Sims, New Zealand Journal of Experimental Agriculture, ISSN 0301-5521, volume 7, number 4, “Comparative methods of harvesting oilseed rape”, page 79

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂weh₁-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂wḗh₁ti
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂wéh₁n̥ts
  4. Proto-Germanic*windaz
  5. Proto-West Germanic*wind
  6. Old Englishwind
  7. Middle Englishwynd
  8. Englishwind
  9. Proto-Indo-European*Hreyk-
  10. Proto-Indo-European*Hréykō
  11. Proto-Germanic*rīgǭ
  12. Proto-Germanic*raigwō
  13. Proto-Germanic*raiwō
  14. Proto-West Germanic*raiwu
  15. Old Englishrǣw
  16. Middle Englishrewe
  17. Englishrow
  18. Englishwindrow

From wind + row.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian откос
  • откос (otkos)row of cut grain or hay
Catalan andana
  • andanarow of cut grain or hay
Chinese Mandarin 成排的乾草 /成排的干草
  • 成排的乾草 /成排的干草 (chéngpái de gāncǎo)row of cut grain or hay
Dutch zwad, zwade
  • zwadrow of cut grain or hay
  • zwaderow of cut grain or hay
  • walline heaped up by the wind
Finnish karhe, vana
  • karherow of cut grain or hay
  • vanastreak of seaweed etc on the surface of the sea
  • reunavalliridge or berm at a perimeter
  • penkkalong snowbank along the side of a road
  • karheline of gravel left behind by the edge of a grader
  • valliline of snow left behind by snowplow
French andain
  • andainrow of cut grain or hay
German Schwade
  • Schwaderow of cut grain or hay
Irish láithreán féir
  • láithreán féirrow of cut grain or hay
Italian andana
  • andanarow of cut grain or hay
Russian вало́к
  • вало́к (valók)row of cut grain or hay
Spanish hilera
  • hilerarow of cut grain or hay
Swedish hösträng
  • hösträngrow of cut grain or hay
Cite this entry
APA

windrow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/windrow

MLA

“windrow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/windrow. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “windrow,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/windrow.

Source: windrow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.