plowing
UK[ˈplaʊɪŋ]US[ˈplaʊɪŋ]
v
(present participle) to turn over the earth with a plow so that seeds can be planted.
v
(present participle) to move forward with force, especially through something that offers resistance.
Morpheme Breakdown
plow
ing
plow
to till
ing
verbal suffix
Etymology
The word 'plowing' is built upon the noun 'plow', which entered English from Old Norse 'plógr', itself derived from a common Germanic root. This root is likely connected to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) base pleh₂- meaning 'to spread out flat', conceptually linking the action of turning and flattening soil. The addition of the '-ing' suffix, from the Old English present participle ending '-ende', transforms the noun/verb into its ongoing action form. Thus, the literal morphemes combine the ancient concept of preparing flat land with the grammatical marker for continuous action, evolving into the modern sense of the continuous process of tilling soil or, metaphorically, forcing a way through.
Analysis
Structure: plow (to till) + ing (verbal suffix)
plow (from Old English plōg, a plow or a measure of land, of Germanic origin); ing (from Old English -ende, present participle suffix).
Examples
The farmer spent the morning plowing the field before the rain.
The ship was plowing through the heavy waves.
She spent the weekend plowing through the stack of reports on her desk.