Toward
(To"ward, To"wards) adv. Near; at hand; in state of preparation.
Do you hear sught, sir, of a battle toward ?
Shak.
We have a trifling foolish banquet Towards.
Shak. Toward
(To"ward) a. [AS. . See Toward, prep.]
1. Approaching; coming near. "His toward peril." Spenser.
2. Readly to do or learn; compliant with duty; not froward; apt; docile; tractable; as, a toward youth.
3. Ready to act; forward; bold; valiant.
Why, that is spoken like a toward prince.
Shak. Towardliness
(To"ward*li*ness) n. The quality or state of being towardly; docility; tractableness.
The beauty and towardliness of these children moved her brethren to envy.
Sir W. Raleigh. Towardly
(To"ward*ly), a. Same as Toward, a., 2.
He's towardly and will come on apace.
Dryden. Towardness
(To"ward*ness), n. Quality or state of being toward.
Towards
(To"wards) prep. & adv. See Toward.
Towboat
(Tow"boat`) n.
1. A vessel constructed for being towed, as a canal boat.
2. A steamer used for towing other vessels; a tug.
Towel
(Tow"el) n. [OE. towaille, towail, F. touaille, LL. toacula, of Teutonic origin; cf. OHG. dwahila,
swahilla, G. zwehle, fr. OHG. dwahan to wash; akin to D. dwaal a towel, AS. þweán to wash, OS. thwahan,
Icel. þva, Sw. två, Dan. toe, Goth. þwahan. Cf. Doily.] A cloth used for wiping, especially one used
for drying anything wet, as the person after a bath.
Towel gourd (Bot.), the fruit of the cucurbitaceous plant Luffa Ægyptiaca; also, the plant itself. The fruit
is very fibrous, and, when separated from its rind and seeds, is used as a sponge or towel. Called also
Egyptian bath sponge, and dishcloth.
Towel
(Tow"el), v. t. To beat with a stick. [Prov. Eng.]
Toweling
(Tow"el*ing), n. Cloth for towels, especially such as is woven in long pieces to be cut at will,
as distinguished from that woven in towel lengths with borders, etc. [Written also towelling.]
Tower
(Tow"er) n. [OE. tour,tor,tur, F. tour, L. turris; akin to Gr. cf. W. twr a tower, Ir. tor a castle,
Gael. torr a tower, castle. Cf. Tor, Turret.]
1. (Arch.) (a) A mass of building standing alone and insulated, usually higher than its diameter, but
when of great size not always of that proportion. (b) A projection from a line of wall, as a fortification,
for purposes of defense, as a flanker, either or the same height as the curtain wall or higher. (c) A
structure appended to a larger edifice for a special purpose, as for a belfry, and then usually high in
proportion to its width and to the height of the rest of the edifice; as, a church tower.
