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Definition of paw - 6 dictionary results
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paw

1  [paw]
Use paw in a Sentence
–noun
1. the foot of an animal having claws.
2. the foot of any animal.
3. Informal. the human hand, esp. one that is large, rough, or clumsy: Keep your paws off my property.
–verb (used with object)
4. to strike or scrape with the paws or feet: a dog pawing the door.
5. Informal. to handle or caress clumsily, rudely, or with unwelcome familiarity.
–verb (used without object)
6. to beat or scrape the floor, ground, etc., with the paws or feet.
7. Informal. to handle or caress someone or something in a clumsy or rude manner or with unwelcome familiarity.
Origin:
1300–50; ME pawe, var. of powe < MF poue (c. Pr pauta) < Gmc; cf. D poot, G Pfote

Related forms:
pawer, noun
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paw

2  [paw]
–noun Informal.
father; pa.
Origin:
1900–05, Americanism; earlier and dial. pron. of pa, reflecting the now lapsed constraint against a maximally open back vowel in an open stressed final syll.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To paw
paw   (pô)   
n.  

  1. The foot of an animal, especially a quadruped, that has claws or nails.

  2. Informal A human hand, especially a large clumsy one: "Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water" (John Steinbeck).

v.   pawed, paw·ing, paws

v.   tr.

  1. To strike with the paw or paws.

  2. To strike or scrape with a beating motion: The bull pawed the ground before charging.

  3. To handle clumsily, rudely, or with too much familiarity. See Synonyms at touch.

v.   intr.

  1. To scrape the ground with the forefeet: The horse pawed restlessly.

  2. To handle someone or something clumsily, rudely, or with too much familiarity: Don't paw at everything you see.


[Middle English pawe, from Old French powe.]
paw'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
paw

  1. n.
    someone's hand. (Jocular.) : Get your paws off me!
  2. tv.
    to feel someone or handle someone sexually. : If you paw me again, I'll slap you!
  3. tv.
    to touch someone more than is necessary or desired, without any sexual intent. : I don't like for people to paw me while they're shaking hands. There is no reason to shake my shoulder, too.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

paw  (n.)
c.1300, from O.Fr. powe, poe, of unknown origin. Evidence points to a root form *pauta, which probably is related to Prov. pauta, Catalan pote, M.Du. poot, Ger. Pfote "paw"). Celtic and Old Low Ger. have been proposed as the ultimate source, but evidence is wanting. The verb is 1604, from the noun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

PAW tool
Physics Analysis Workbench.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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