plough driverplow drivern.
/ˈplaʊ ˌdrʌɪvə/, U.S. /ˈplaʊ ˌdraɪvər/ The driver of a plough; esp. one who drives the animal or animals drawing a plough.
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the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > breaking up land > ploughing > [noun] > ploughman or woman > controller of draught animals
driverc1390
plough driver?c1475
gadsman?a1500
ploughboy1544
goadster1837
forelooper1863
?c1475 Catholicon Anglicum (BL Add. 15562) f. 97v A plugh dryuer [1483 BL Add. 89074 Ploghe dryfer], stigarius.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Ploughe dryuer, iugarius.
1603 T. Dekker 1603: Wonderfull Yeare sig. D2v Those misbeleeuing Pagans, the plough-driuers.
1679 O. Heywood Autobiogr., Diaries, & Event Bks. (1881) II. 262 The plow-holder left the plow..the plow-driver at last came to them.
1725 J. Roderick Eng. & Welch Dict. A plough driver, Gyrrwr ychain.
1767 Adventures Kidnapped Orphan vii. 151 His father was a thrasher, and himself a plough-driver.
1812 J. Sinclair Acct. Syst. Husbandry Scotl. i. 343 Horses..were herded..on the pasture land, by the boys then employed as plough drivers.
1855 J. Brougham Game of Love v. i. 44 His lady wife, whose aristocratical relations..were unceremoniously reduced to blacksmiths and plough-drivers.
1866 W. Reid After War 487 Each plow-driver had charge of about thirty-five mules, was required to see that these were properly fed.
1990 Jrnl. Amer. Hist. 77 847 The plow driver, who allegedly had a conversation with McCallin some days after the murder was committed, corroborated Henderson on this point.
2003 Chicago Daily Herald (Nexis) 18 July 4 Expenses would rise if union workers are needed as backup plow drivers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?c1475