Haymows

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A structure used primarily for the storage of hay in a barn or farm setting
2. A raised platform or loft area where hay is piled for preservation
3. An enclosed space designed to keep hay dry and protected from elements and pests

Etymology: "Haymows" is the plural of "haymow," a compound built from two very old English words. "Hay" is the cut and dried grass used as fodder, and "mow" comes from the Old English "muga," meaning a heap or stack, the same sense that gives a "mow" its meaning of a pile of hay or grain stored in a barn. Put together, a haymow is simply a hay heap, and the "mow" element refers to the stored pile itself rather than to the act of cutting grass. The compound took shape in Middle English, when "hay mowe" was written as two separate words. Its structure is transparent: the first element names the crop, the second names the stack. The later spelling as one word reflects the way English compounds gradually fused over time.