Mowynge

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of cutting down grass or hay with a scythe or machine ; an archaic habit of distorting the face into a grimace or scornful expression
2. Harvesting grass or hay by cutting it close to the ground ; old-fashioned pulling of the mouth into a grimace or mocking face
3. Cutting standing grass or crops from the field ; in older English, the making of faces or grimaces to show scorn or displeasure

Etymology: Mowynge is a Middle English spelling of "mowing," the act of cutting grass or grain, or the season for it. The verb descends from Old English "māwan," which shares a root with Latin "metere," to reap, and Greek "amaō," to reap. The "-ing" ending turns the verb into a noun for the activity itself. The stacks of hay that people call a "mow" come from a different word entirely. That noun derives from Old English "muga," meaning heap, and has no connection to cutting. The two words only look related because they share a spelling.

Synonyms: mowing