A
scow, in the original sense, is a flat bottomed
boat, often used to haul
garbage[?] or similar bulk
freight[?]; cf.
barge. The
etymology of the word is from
Dutch schouwe, meaning such a boat.
In slang, the word has recently acquired two new senses, which refer to motor vehicles:
- The first colloquial sense calls a dump truck a "scow."
- Extending the first colloquial sense, "scow" is sometimes used to refer to a pickup truck, sport utility vehicle, or minivan as a class; or any similar large, tall, or long vehicle.