Ordric wrote:

> I live in the Wreake Valley in Leicestershire,with a high
>density of Scandinavian place ( and river!!) names.At my workplace it
>is very common to hear "give us a hand mate,we're mowed out here!"
>I have never heard the word "Mowed" anywhere else....does anyone know
>if it is a Norse survival? I have seen the word in Chaucer....but
>would like to trace it back further.

I don't know of a Norse cognate, and I don't have Oxford at hand, but
here's Merriam-Webster:

Middle English mow, from Old English mAwan; akin to Old High German mAen to
mow, Latin metere to reap, mow, Greek aman.

Given that Old High German isn't exactly known for its loan words from
Latin and Greek, I would guess this word is likely of Indo-European origins.

-Selv

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