taws

[ tawz, tahz ]

noun

, Chiefly Scot.

, plural taws.

1. a whip or leather thong used to drive a spinning top.
2. a leather whip having its tip divided into smaller strips, used to punish schoolchildren.

Word History and Origins

Origin of taws¹

1505–15; plural of obsolete taw < Old Norse taug rope; cognate with Old English tēag tie

Related Words

• skin