See sow one's wild oats on Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "From being a typical useless or counterproductive occupation (wild oats is a weed, and would not be sown).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "sows one's wild oats",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "sowing one's wild oats",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "sowed one's wild oats",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "sown one's wild oats",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "sowed one's wild oats",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "sow<,,,sown:sowed> one's wild oats"
},
"expansion": "sow one's wild oats (third-person singular simple present sows one's wild oats, present participle sowing one's wild oats, simple past sowed one's wild oats, past participle sown one's wild oats or sowed one's wild oats)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"senses": [
{
"glosses": [
"To spread one's genes around by impregnating many females."
],
"id": "en-sow_one's_wild_oats-en-verb-Jut1wjlK",
"links": [
[
"gene",
"gene"
],
[
"impregnating",
"impregnate"
],
[
"females",
"females"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(figuratively, of a male) To spread one's genes around by impregnating many females."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of a male"
],
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "62 9 22 8",
"word": "feel one's oats"
},
{
"_dis1": "62 9 22 8",
"word": "get one's oats"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "62 9 22 8",
"word": "sow wild oats"
},
{
"_dis1": "62 9 22 8",
"word": "sow one's oats"
}
],
"tags": [
"figuratively"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "55 1 43 1",
"alt": "1",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to spread a male's genes",
"word": "så sin havre"
},
{
"_dis1": "55 1 43 1",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to spread a male's genes",
"word": "så vildhavre"
},
{
"_dis1": "55 1 43 1",
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "roznósyty svojé símʺja",
"sense": "to spread a male's genes",
"word": "розно́сити своє́ сі́м'я"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, “Learning to Forget”, in Little Women: […], part second, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC, page 264:",
"text": "Let the boys be boys,—the longer the better,—and let the young men sow their wild oats if they must,—but mothers, sisters, and friends may help to make the crop a small one, and keep many tares from spoiling the harvest, by believing,—and showing that they believe,—in the possibility of loyalty to the virtues which make men manliest in good women's eyes.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1914, Jack London, “Samuel”, in The Strength of the Strong, New York: MacMillan:",
"text": "The young men go down to the sea and sow their wild oats in the wicked ports, returning periodically, between voyages, to live the old intensive morality, to court till ten o’clock, to sit under the minister each Sunday, and to listen at home to the same stern precepts that the elders preached to them from the time they were laddies.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2022, Ling Ma, “Office Hours”, in Bliss Montage, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN:",
"text": "“A nun advising a young woman to leave the convent and explore the world, the subtext being to sow her wild oats—well, it was more outrageous than any graphic scenes,” he had said.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To engage in premarital or extramarital flings."
],
"id": "en-sow_one's_wild_oats-en-verb-Ig9uWPGx",
"links": [
[
"premarital",
"premarital"
],
[
"extramarital",
"extramarital"
],
[
"fling",
"fling"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension, of a male or female) To engage in premarital or extramarital flings."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of a male or female"
],
"tags": [
"broadly"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "18 5 74 4",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "20 8 64 8",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "19 4 73 4",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 1 entry",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "19 3 75 3",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "16 9 69 7",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Danish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "20 11 59 10",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "18 9 64 9",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "19 8 65 8",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Italian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "17 13 60 10",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "17 13 60 10",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Ukrainian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To have numerous sexual partners."
],
"id": "en-sow_one's_wild_oats-en-verb-LhOx-79W",
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension, of a male or female) To have numerous sexual partners."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of a male or female"
],
"tags": [
"broadly"
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"To indulge in a period of irresponsible behavior."
],
"id": "en-sow_one's_wild_oats-en-verb-~jY6SNSM",
"links": [
[
"divorce",
"divorce"
],
[
"indulge",
"indulge"
],
[
"irresponsible",
"irresponsible"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension, often of young adults or the recently divorced) To indulge in a period of irresponsible behavior."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of young adults or the recently divorced"
],
"tags": [
"broadly",
"often"
]
}
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "32 4 33 30",
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "to spend a period of one's youth behaving irresponsibly",
"word": "løbe hornene af sig"
},
{
"_dis1": "32 4 33 30",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to spend a period of one's youth behaving irresponsibly",
"word": "jeter sa gourme"
},
{
"_dis1": "32 4 33 30",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to spend a period of one's youth behaving irresponsibly",
"word": "sich die Hörner abstoßen"
},
{
"_dis1": "32 4 33 30",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to spend a period of one's youth behaving irresponsibly",
"word": "correre la cavallina"
},
{
"_dis1": "32 4 33 30",
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "rozhuljátysja v mólodosti",
"sense": "to spend a period of one's youth behaving irresponsibly",
"word": "розгуля́тися в мо́лодості"
}
],
"word": "sow one's wild oats"
}
{
"categories": [
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English verbs",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Danish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Swedish translations",
"Terms with Ukrainian translations"
],
"etymology_text": "From being a typical useless or counterproductive occupation (wild oats is a weed, and would not be sown).",
"forms": [
{
"form": "sows one's wild oats",
"tags": [
"present",
"singular",
"third-person"
]
},
{
"form": "sowing one's wild oats",
"tags": [
"participle",
"present"
]
},
{
"form": "sowed one's wild oats",
"tags": [
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "sown one's wild oats",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
},
{
"form": "sowed one's wild oats",
"tags": [
"participle",
"past"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "sow<,,,sown:sowed> one's wild oats"
},
"expansion": "sow one's wild oats (third-person singular simple present sows one's wild oats, present participle sowing one's wild oats, simple past sowed one's wild oats, past participle sown one's wild oats or sowed one's wild oats)",
"name": "en-verb"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "verb",
"related": [
{
"word": "feel one's oats"
},
{
"word": "get one's oats"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"glosses": [
"To spread one's genes around by impregnating many females."
],
"links": [
[
"gene",
"gene"
],
[
"impregnating",
"impregnate"
],
[
"females",
"females"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(figuratively, of a male) To spread one's genes around by impregnating many females."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of a male"
],
"tags": [
"figuratively"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, “Learning to Forget”, in Little Women: […], part second, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC, page 264:",
"text": "Let the boys be boys,—the longer the better,—and let the young men sow their wild oats if they must,—but mothers, sisters, and friends may help to make the crop a small one, and keep many tares from spoiling the harvest, by believing,—and showing that they believe,—in the possibility of loyalty to the virtues which make men manliest in good women's eyes.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "1914, Jack London, “Samuel”, in The Strength of the Strong, New York: MacMillan:",
"text": "The young men go down to the sea and sow their wild oats in the wicked ports, returning periodically, between voyages, to live the old intensive morality, to court till ten o’clock, to sit under the minister each Sunday, and to listen at home to the same stern precepts that the elders preached to them from the time they were laddies.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2022, Ling Ma, “Office Hours”, in Bliss Montage, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN:",
"text": "“A nun advising a young woman to leave the convent and explore the world, the subtext being to sow her wild oats—well, it was more outrageous than any graphic scenes,” he had said.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To engage in premarital or extramarital flings."
],
"links": [
[
"premarital",
"premarital"
],
[
"extramarital",
"extramarital"
],
[
"fling",
"fling"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension, of a male or female) To engage in premarital or extramarital flings."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of a male or female"
],
"tags": [
"broadly"
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"To have numerous sexual partners."
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension, of a male or female) To have numerous sexual partners."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of a male or female"
],
"tags": [
"broadly"
]
},
{
"glosses": [
"To indulge in a period of irresponsible behavior."
],
"links": [
[
"divorce",
"divorce"
],
[
"indulge",
"indulge"
],
[
"irresponsible",
"irresponsible"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(by extension, often of young adults or the recently divorced) To indulge in a period of irresponsible behavior."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of young adults or the recently divorced"
],
"tags": [
"broadly",
"often"
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "sow wild oats"
},
{
"word": "sow one's oats"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"alt": "1",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to spread a male's genes",
"word": "så sin havre"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "to spread a male's genes",
"word": "så vildhavre"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "roznósyty svojé símʺja",
"sense": "to spread a male's genes",
"word": "розно́сити своє́ сі́м'я"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "to spend a period of one's youth behaving irresponsibly",
"word": "løbe hornene af sig"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "to spend a period of one's youth behaving irresponsibly",
"word": "jeter sa gourme"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "to spend a period of one's youth behaving irresponsibly",
"word": "sich die Hörner abstoßen"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "to spend a period of one's youth behaving irresponsibly",
"word": "correre la cavallina"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"roman": "rozhuljátysja v mólodosti",
"sense": "to spend a period of one's youth behaving irresponsibly",
"word": "розгуля́тися в мо́лодості"
}
],
"word": "sow one's wild oats"
}
Download raw JSONL data for sow one's wild oats meaning in All languages combined (5.1kB)
{
"called_from": "translations/324",
"msg": "possible sense number in translation item: Swedish: så sin havre (1), så vildhavre",
"path": [
"sow one's wild oats"
],
"section": "English",
"subsection": "verb",
"title": "sow one's wild oats",
"trace": ""
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.