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maw

[maw] Example Sentences Origin

maw

1[maw]
noun
1.
the mouth, throat, or gullet of an animal, especially a carnivorous mammal.
2.
the crop or craw of a fowl.
3.
the stomach, especially that of an animal.
4.
a cavernous opening that resembles the open jaws of an animal: the gaping maw of hell.
5.
the symbolic or theoretical center of a voracious hunger or appetite of any kind: the ravenous maw of Death.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English mawe, Old English maga; cognate with Dutch maag, German Magen, Old Norse magi

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Maw is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Example Sentences
  • It carries nostalgia to where sentiment finally engulfs it in its sickly maw.
  • The money then disappears into the general maw of public spending, rather than being used to provide drivers with alternatives.
  • The liquid is regurgitated into the maw of the waiting youngster.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged

maw

2[maw]
noun Informal.

Origin:
variant of ma
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
maw (mɔː)
 
n
1.  the mouth, throat, crop, or stomach of an animal, esp of a voracious animal
2.  informal the mouth or stomach of a greedy person
 
[Old English maga; related to Middle Dutch maghe, Old Norse magi]

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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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

maw
O.E. maga "stomach" (of men and animals), from P.Gmc. *magon (cf. O.Fris. maga, O.N. mag, Du. maag, Ger. Magen "stomach"), perhaps cognate with Welsh megin "bellows," Lith. makas, O.C.S. mosina "bag, pouch."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

maw definition

[mɔ]
  1. tv. & in.
    to kiss and pet; to smooch. (Probably from maul.) : Come on, don't maw me. You've been watching too many movies—or two few. , Let's go out somewhere and maw.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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