# row

Pronunciation: say "ROH" US /ˈɹoʊ/, UK /ˈɹəʊ/

## Noun

1. A line of people or things side by side, such as seats or plants, including a horizontal line of entries in a table.
   - Simple: A line of people or things next to each other, or a line of information going across a table.
   - _The orchard was laid out in long, straight rows of apple trees._
   - _Our seats were in the last row, right against the back wall._
3. An act or instance of rowing a boat.
   - Simple: A trip in a boat that you move with oars.
   - _They enjoyed a leisurely row along the canal._
   - _After a quick row to the island, they set up camp._
4. A noisy argument or quarrel. *(colloquial, UK)* (pronounced: say "ROW" /ɹaʊ/)
   - Simple: A loud, angry argument between people.
   - _A blazing row erupted between the brothers at dinner._
   - _The couple had a terrible row and didn't speak for days._
5. Any of several exercise movements done by pulling the arms back toward the body.
   - Simple: An exercise where you pull your arms back, often using weights.
   - _The trainer demonstrated a barbell row with perfect form._
   - _Her back workout always ends with four sets of heavy dumbbell rows._
7. A continual loud noise. *(colloquial, UK)* (pronounced: say "ROW" /ɹaʊ/)
   - Simple: A loud noise that keeps going on and on.
   - _The row from the festival carried across the whole town._
   - _We could hardly hear each other over the row from the construction site next door._
8. Short for cornrow: one of the tight braids lying flat against the scalp in a cornrow hairstyle. *(slang)* — Clipping of cornrow.
   - Simple: Short for cornrow: a tight braid that lies flat against the head in a line.
   - _The row closest to her ear was braided so tight it gave her a headache._
   - _She's getting her rows redone this weekend because they've started to look fuzzy._
9. A street with an unbroken line of houses or other buildings along it, or the line of buildings itself; often part of a street's name.
   - Simple: A street where houses or other buildings stand side by side in a long line, or the buildings themselves.
   - _Their apartment is on Chandler's Row, a few blocks from the waterfront._
   - _Gallery owners have turned the old warehouse row into the city's arts district._

## Verb

2. To move a boat through the water using oars, or to carry someone or something in a boat moved this way.
   - Simple: To move a boat through water by pulling oars, or to take someone somewhere in such a boat.
   - _Volunteers row the rescue boat out whenever swimmers get into trouble._
   - _They row steadily across the bay before sunrise._
6. To quarrel or argue noisily. *(colloquial, UK)* (pronounced: say "ROW" /ɹaʊ/)
   - Simple: To argue in a loud, angry way.
   - _Couples who row in public often regret it later._
   - _They rowed bitterly over the will for months._

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 8–9** — From Middle English rewe, from Old English rǣw or rāw, probably from Proto-Germanic *raiwō ("row, streak, line") and ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to carve or scratch." It is related to Dutch rij and German Reihe, both meaning "row."
**Meanings 2–3, 5** — From Middle English rowen ("to row"), from Old English rōwan, from Proto-Germanic *rōaną and a Proto-Indo-European root *h₁reh₁- ("to row"). It is related to West Frisian roeie, Dutch roeien, and Danish ro.
**Meanings 4, 6–7** — Its origin is unclear, though some think the verb "rouse" gave rise to it by back-formation.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/row (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).