Etymograph

English

mower

Mower comes from Middle English mowen ‘to be strong or powerful’, from Old English magan ‘can, to be able’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*megʰ-1‘to be able’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(me)mógʰe1‘to have power, to be able to’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maganą1‘to be able, may’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*magan1‘to be able, may’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150magan1‘can, to be able’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mowen1‘to be strong or powerful’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mowere1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1828mower1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English mower
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology: “They especially liked to be with the mowers in…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*megʰ-Wiktionary, English mower‘to be able’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*(me)mógʰeWiktionary, English mower‘to have power, to be able to’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*maganąWiktionary, English mower‘to be able, may’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*maganWiktionary, English mower‘to be able, may’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150maganWiktionary, English mower‘can, to be able’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mowenWiktionary, English mower‘to be strong or powerful’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mowereWiktionary, English mower
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1828mowerWiktionary, English mower. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology: “They especially liked to be with the mowers in…”

Formed from mow + -er

Proto-Indo-European *h₂meh₁- ‘to mow, reap’

Proto-Germanic *mēaną ‘to mow, cut down’

Proto-West Germanic *māan ‘to mow’

Old English māwan ‘to mow’

Middle English mowen ‘to mow’

English mow

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- ‘to be able’

main, mechanical, mechanism, mechanic, magician, dismay, mage, mecha, machinist, magus, 76 more

through Proto-Indo-European *(me)mógʰe ‘to have power, to be able to’

might, 2 more

through Proto-Germanic *maganą ‘to be able, may’

mighty, yay, mightily, yayo, 3 more

through Old English magan ‘can, to be able’

may, 2 more

through Middle English mowen ‘to be strong or powerful’

mow, 1 more

Today it means

noun A lawnmower, a machine used to cut grass on lawns.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mower”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *megʰ- / mower

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