A machine or device used for cutting grass or crops, typically having rotating blades.
From Middle English 'mowe' (to mow) plus the agent suffix '-er'. 'Mow' comes from Old English 'māwan', related to Old Norse 'mā' and Latin 'metere' (to reap), all from Proto-Indo-European 'h₄meh₁-' meaning 'to cut down'.
The transition from scythe to mechanical mower revolutionized lawn care in the 1830s when Edwin Budding invented the cylinder mower after observing textile machinery that trimmed cloth. His design is essentially unchanged in modern reel mowers.
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