English word origin

Etymology of Tow

* As an English surname, variant of Tough, from the adjective tough. Also compare the Scottish surname Tulloch. * As a Chinese surname, converged from several Romanizations, such as 陶 (Dao), 曹 (cáo) (Cao), 杜 (dù) (Du), 蘇

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Tough",
      "Tough#English"
    ],
    [
      "tough",
      "tough#English"
    ],
    [
      "Tulloch",
      "Tulloch#English"
    ],
    [
      "陶",
      "陶#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "Dao",
      "Dao#English"
    ],
    [
      "曹",
      "曹#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "Cao",
      "Cao#English"
    ],
    [
      "杜",
      "杜#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "Du",
      "Du#English"
    ],
    [
      "蘇",
      "蘇#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "苏",
      "苏#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "Su",
      "Su#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "21aa2b3b2b446fe1ae78fee4ee15731125c8beb5980822a7cbad6b732a42355a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0442434468d38af169f30e758ffddaef2a6d335bd62c23309c51786903665087",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6593527
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Tow →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-VG93