verb (used with object)
1.
to bite or chew on, especially persistently.
2.
to wear away or remove by persistent biting or nibbling.
3.
to form or make by so doing: to gnaw a hole through the wall.
4.
to waste or wear away; corrode; erode.
5.
to trouble or torment by constant annoyance, worry, etc.; vex; plague.
verb (used without object)
6.
to bite or chew persistently: The spaniel gnawed happily on a bone.
7.
to cause corrosion: The acid gnaws at the metal.
8.
to cause an effect resembling corrosion: Her mistake gnawed at her conscience.
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Gnaw
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is prim. Does it mean:
| Stiffly proper. |
| cast or shed the feathers, skin, or the like, that will be replaced by a new growth |
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English gnawen, Old English gnagen; cognate with German nagen, Old Norse gnāga
before 1000; Middle English gnawen, Old English gnagen; cognate with German nagen, Old Norse gnāga
Related forms
gnaw·a·ble, adjective
gnaw·er, noun
out·gnaw, verb (used with object), out·gnawed, out·gnawed or out·gnawn, out·gnaw·ing.
un·der·gnaw, verb (used with object)
un·gnawed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To gnaw
Collins
World English Dictionary
gnaw (nɔː) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (when intr, | |
| 1. | to bite (at) or chew (upon) constantly so as to wear away little by little |
| 2. | (tr) to form by gnawing: to gnaw a hole |
| 3. | to cause erosion of (something) |
| 4. | to cause constant distress or anxiety (to) |
| —n | |
| 5. | the act or an instance of gnawing |
| [Old English gnagan; related to Old Norse gnaga, Old High German gnagan] | |
| 'gnawable | |
| —adj | |
| 'gnawer | |
| —n | |
| 'gnawing | |
| —adj, —n | |
| 'gnawingly | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
gnaw
O.E. gnagan (pt. *gnog, pp. gnagan), a common Gmc. word (cf. O.S. gnagan, O.N. gnaga, M.Du. knagen, Ger. nagen), probably imitative of gnawing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
They also gnaw on wires for sprinkler systems and traffic lights.
Here's a rhetorical question to gnaw on while calculating your brackets the next two weeks.
No more throwing us a bone to gnaw on while they dine on arugula and stuffed goose.
Immigrant mothers gave them to babies to gnaw on, a kind of edible teething ring.
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