scratch plough
- noun
- Archaic
:
arado de rastra
- Unlike modern ploughs, a scratch plough does not turn the soil but simply loosens its surface.
Examples
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Farmers in ancient times often used a scratch plough to prepare their fields for sowing.
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The scratch plough is well-suited to light soils and minimal farming.
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Farmers often use a scratch plough in early spring.
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The scratch plough is ideal for shallow tillage.
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Farmers in ancient times often used a scratch plough to prepare their fields for sowing.
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The scratch plough is well-suited to light soils and minimal farming.
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Unlike modern ploughs, a scratch plough does not turn the soil but simply loosens its surface.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A simple light plough that breaks the soil without turning it over
A simple light farming tool with one blade that scratches soil without turning it, used in ancient farming
How Deep
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Archaic
Surface Forms
Morphology
scratch + plough
The meaning (a light plough that scratches or breaks up only the soil surface) is directly derivable from combining 'scratch' (to scrape or score a surface) with 'plough' (a farming implement). This is a literal noun-noun composition following compositional semantics, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's sense.
Etymology
Scratch plough comes from the simple image of a light plough that scratches the surface of the soil with a small blade. Because it only scrapes and loosens the top layer instead of turning the ground over, the name shows what this tool does.