Etymology : Middle English, from Old English sIwian; akin to Old High German siuwen to sew, Latin suere
Pronunciation : sO
Function : verb
Date : before 12th century
1. join or fasten with stitches, repair with stitches; close with stitches. sew\sew\, v. i. to practice sewing; to work with needle and thread.sew \sew\ , v. t. [?151 b. see:
sewer a drain.] to drain, as a pond, for taking the fish. [obs.]sew \sew\ , n.[oe. see:
sewer household officer.] juice; gravy; a seasoned dish; a delicacy. [obs.] i will not tell of their strange sewes.sew \sew\, v. t. [see:
sue to follow.] to follow; to pursue; to sue. [obs.] spenser.sew \sew\ , v. t. [imp. sewed ; p. p. sewed, rarely sewn ; p. pr. & vb. n. sewing.] [oe. sewen, sowen, as. si?wian, sīwian; akin to ohg. siuwan, icel. s ja, sw. sy, dan. sye, goth. siujan, lith. siuti, russ, shite, l. ssuere, gr. , skr. siv. ?156. cf. seam a suture, suture.].
2. to unite or fasten together by stitches, as with a needle and thread. no man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment. i.
3. 2. to close or stop by ssewing; -- often with up; as, to sew up a rip.
4. to inclose by sewing; -- sometimes with up; as, to sew money in a bag.sew v.
5. fasten by sewing; do needlework [syn: run up, sew together , stitch].
6. create (clothes) with cloth; "can the seamstress sew me a suit by next week?" [syn: tailor, tailor-make].
7. Juice; gravy; a seasoned dish; a delicacy.
8. To follow; to pursue; to sue.
9. To unite or fasten together by stitches, as with a needle and thread.
10. To close or stop by ssewing; often with up; as, to sew up a rip.
11. To inclose by sewing; sometimes with up; as, to sew money in a bag.
12. To practice sewing; to work with needle and thread.
13. To drain, as a pond, for taking the fish. fasten by sewing; do needlework create with cloth; "Can the seamstress sew me a suit by next week?".
14. 1. When you sew something such as clothes, you make them or repair them by joining pieces of cloth together by passing thread through them with a needle. She sewed the dresses on the sewing machine Anyone can sew on a button, including you Mrs Roberts was a dressmaker, and she taught her daughter to sew.
15. When something such as a hand or finger is sewn back by a doctor, it is joined with the patient's body using a needle and thread. The hand was preserved in ice by neighbours and sewn back on in hospital see also:
sewing. to use a needle and thread to make or repair clothes or to fasten something such as a button to them.