barrow

/ˈbɛroʊ/

/ˈbærəʊ/

Other forms: barrows

A barrow is a one- or two-wheeled cart with handles. When you're raking leaves and moving the piles into the corner of your yard, a barrow will come in handy.

Barrow, which these days is mainly used as shorthand for wheelbarrow, is actually the older word, derived from an Old English root meaning "to bear or to carry." Barrows are useful for carrying loads of things, like dirt or leaves or sand, from one place to another. However, when archaeologists talk about barrows, they mean something completely different — a burial mound that marks an ancient grave.

Definitions of barrow

1. noun

   a cart for carrying small loads; has handles and one or more wheels
   synonyms: garden cart, lawn cart, wheelbarrow

   type of:

   cart, go-cart, handcart, pushcart

   wheeled vehicle that can be pushed by a person; may have one or two or four wheels
2. noun

   the quantity that a barrow will hold
   synonyms: barrowful

   type of:

   containerful

   the quantity that a container will hold
3. noun

   (archeology) a heap of earth placed over prehistoric tombs
   synonyms: burial mound, grave mound, tumulus

   type of:

   hill, mound

   structure consisting of an artificial heap or bank usually of earth or stones