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.

maw

²

[ maw ]

noun

, Informal.

1. mother ¹.

maw

/ mɔː /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of maw¹

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

Origin of maw²

Variant of ma

Word History and Origins

Origin of maw¹

Old English maga; related to Middle Dutch maghe, Old Norse magi

Example Sentences

The last thing they’ll see is a spiny, globe-shaped shadow emerging from behind the glowing orb—then they’ll be ensnared in the toothy maw of an anglerfish.

From Popular-Science

A short stroll from the Grand Canyon’s incredible visitor center is Mather Point, a striking panoramic vista down into the bright red maw of the world’s longest canyon.

From Outside Online

One thing the unsettling critter does have in common with the Spanish monster is its terrifying maw.

From Popular-Science

This is where focusing on fish maw and other high-end ingredients could make lab-grown seafood economically viable faster.

From Time

Several slow, deliberate lunges later, the tortoise’s yawning maw caught the bird, crushing its head.

From Science News

Privately, they admit they have to provide the data that feed that maw.

From The Daily Beast

The other is that people actually lose skills (even very basic skills) and many of them fall into the maw of depression.

From The Daily Beast

Every time I step onto an airplane, I turn to the right and take a good, hard stare into the maw of the engine.

From The Daily Beast

Having been caught red-handed with a smoking bong firmly pasted to his maw, the long knives are out for the Olympic hero.

From The Daily Beast

Thereafter we were buffeted like chips in the swirling maw of a whirlpool; we fought our way rod by rod.

From Project Gutenberg

Just what they expect of my babyAin't clear to his maw; my, oh, my!

From Project Gutenberg

So much for the measure of the maw of the circulating library.

From Project Gutenberg

"Maw and me done put yo' in a Johnny-cake," she said, an outsider might have thought enigmatically.

From Project Gutenberg

A school of flying fish, fleeing from some pursuing maw beneath the surface, skipped from wave to wave.

From Project Gutenberg