Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

prow

/pɹaʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.30 in modern English

Syllables: prow
IPA: /pɹaʊ/

9

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The front part of a vessel.

noun

adj

Brave, valiant, gallant.

Archaic

noun

Alternative form of proa.

name

Example Sentences

"The floating vessel swum / Uplifted, and secure with beaked prow / rode tilting o'er the waves."
"We were already rather close in; but I ordered the U-33's prow turned inshore and we crept slowly along, constantly dipping up the water and tasting it to assure ourselves that we didn't get outside the fresh-water current."
"For they be two the prowest knights on ground, / And oft approu’d in many hard assay […]"

Etymology

From Middle French proue, proe, from Ligurian prua, proa, from Latin prōra, from Ancient Greek πρῷρα (prōîra).

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: proue, prua, prōra, πρῷρα, prow, prou

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /pɹaʊ/
British English: /pɹaʊ/

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

prows (plural) prower (comparative) prowest (superlative)

Derived Forms

prowed prowfish prowlike

Frequently Paired Words

prowess

Synonyms

bow stem fore forestem prore

Antonyms

stern aft poop

Rhymes With

how now allow wow bow thou cow dow mao vow brow howe

Questions

How do you pronounce prow?: The recorded pronunciation is /pɹaʊ/.
What does prow mean?: The front part of a vessel.
Where does prow come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce prow

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “prow”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pɹaʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “prow”.
Repeat and practice — Say “prow” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.