furrow
Meaning
a long, narrow trench made in the ground by a plow, especially for planting seeds or for irrigation.
a deep wrinkle or groove in a surface, especially on the skin of the face.
to make furrows in something, especially the earth or one's brow.
Usage
the farmer drove the tractor, cutting a deep furrow into the rich, dark soil.
a deep furrow of concern appeared on his forehead as he read the news.
years of squinting in the sun had furrowed the skin around her eyes.
Etymology
the word 'furrow' descends directly from the old english 'furh', meaning a trench or a track. this term has cognates across the germanic languages, such as old high german 'furh' and old norse 'for', all pointing to a common proto-germanic ancestor, 'furhs'. this proto-germanic root is further traced back to the proto-indo-european 'perk-', meaning 'to dig' or 'to tear', a root that also gives us the latin 'porca' (a ridge between furrows). the semantic journey is straightforward and concrete: from the ancient action of digging, to the specific trench created by a plow, and later extended metaphorically to any similar groove, such as a wrinkle on the face.
Analysis
the word 'furrow' is a simplex word of old english origin. it does not neatly divide into smaller, meaningful morphemes within its modern english spelling.