Froe

//fɹoʊ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A cleaving tool for splitting cask staves and shingles from a block of wood.

    "Patch shingles on the barn roof: do we have a maul and froe?"

  2. 2
    A dirty woman; a slattern; a frow. obsolete

    "1630, Michael Drayton, Nymphal IV, [from The Muses Elizium], 1793, The Works of the British Poets, Volume 3: Drayton, Carew & Suckling, page 618, Like to thoſe raging frantic froes / For Bacchus' feaſts prepared;"

Synonyms

All synonyms
fromwardthroe

Example

More examples

"Patch shingles on the barn roof: do we have a maul and froe?"

Etymology

Etymology 1

Abbreviation of obsolete frower, from froward (“turned away”), referring to the orientation of the blade, at right angles to the handle. From late 16th century.

Etymology 2

See frow.

Related phrases

froe club

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.