Tew

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To prepare fibers such as flax or hemp by beating, pulling, or working them until they become soft and suitable for spinning
2. To soften and separate plant fibers through mechanical treatment such as beating or drawing to ready them for textile production
3. To work fibers by hand or with tools, separating and conditioning them so they can be spun into thread or yarn

Etymology: The verb sense, "to prepare," is the older one. This form is a variant of "tawen," which meant to taw: to work a hide, especially to dress it into soft white leather. "Taw" itself goes back to Old English "tawian," to prepare or dress something. A more speculative line runs toward a Germanic root for gear. Some etymologists suggest the word may descend from an unrecorded ancestor related to Dutch "tuig" ("rigging, tackle"), German "Zeug" ("equipment, stuff"), and West Frisian "túch." If so, the word's earliest sense may have been fitting out tools and rope rather than working leather. This origin is uncertain. In Baltimore African-American Vernacular, the spelling is also used as a pronunciation spelling of "two," giving it a separate, unrelated life as a number.

Synonyms: work, prepare, knead