Now chiefly U.S. Also 6–7 frower, 7 frowe, frau, 8 fro. [The synonymous FROMWARD suggests that the earliest form frower represents a subst. use of FROWARD a. in the lit. sense ‘turned away,’ the reference being to the position of the handle.]
1. A wedge-shaped tool used for cleaving and riving staves, shingles, etc. It has a handle in the plane of the blade, set at right angles to the back.
1573. Tusser, Husb., xvii. (1878), 36. A frower of iron, for cleauing of lath.
1616. J. Lane, Cont. Sqr’s. T., ix. 63.
| Incastinge stooles, ropes, froes, chaines, manors, beddes, | |
| and all trassh whatsoever, none oretreddes. |
1624. Capt. Smith, Virginia, IV. Wks. (Arb.), 608. Tooles [required] … 2 frowes to cleaue pale 18d. each.
1668. Worlidge, Dict. Rust., A Frower, an Edge-tool used in cleaving Lath.
1685. R. Burton, Eng. Emp. Amer., x. 149. A set of Wedges and Fraus … to every family.
1775. Romans, Hist. Florida, 182. A stave making gang consists of five persons, a feller of the timber, who cuts down the trees, two to cross-cut them in proper lengths, a river or splitter, who rives them with the fro, and the fifth is employed in shaving them.
1851. S. Judd, Margaret, XVI. (1871), 137. Hash, who with froe in one hand, and mallet in the other, by dint of smart percussion is endeavoring to rive a three-cornered billet of hemlock.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., I. 918/2. Frow. (Coopering.)
† 2. (See quot.; perh. a distinct word.) Obs.
1594. Plat, The Jewell House of Art and Nature, III. 20. From this ground did those warming pinnes first spring, which of some are called Froes, and being put into their cases, and those cases wrapped in linnen bagges, doe serve to heate beddes with, and to cast one into a kindly sweat.
