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 Dutchschouwe, 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.
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