Emily Dickinson Lexicon

sow (-ed, -ing, -n), v. [OE sáwan; see seed, n.]

1. Plant; bury in earth; lay down carefully; place in soil for future growth.
2. Scatter; disperse; disseminate; bring forth; [fig.] generate; engender; be born as a mortal; (see 1 Corinthians 15:42-43).
3. Set; propagate; cause to grow; set out in a garden; [fig.] create; design; fashion; make; [metaphor] compose; write as poems; [word play on “sew”] stitch; put together with thread.
4. Bury; lay to rest; [fig.] hide; cover from sight; [metaphor] entomb; inter as a corpse; allow to be placed in the garden sepulchre belonging to Joseph of Arimathæa (see Matthew 27:57-58).
5. Germinate; quicken; stir up; enable to develop; [fig.] awaken spiritually; stimulate with new ideas.