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
before 900; Middle English mawe, Old English maga; cognate with Dutch maag, German Magen, Old Norse magi
00:10
Maw
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To maw
Collins
World English Dictionary
maw (mɔː) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —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
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
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
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
maw definition[mɔ]
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
The cavernous maw which had enveloped the players in practice now seemed to be turbulent with life.
At last count, roughly a dozen celebrity magazines filled newsstands in a bid to feed the maw of a gossip-hungry public.
It carries nostalgia to where sentiment finally engulfs it in its sickly maw.
The basking shark's giant, gaping maw makes it look far more dangerous than it is, but it's still a shark.
Matching Quote
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
