paw
1[ paw ]
/ pɔ /
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noun
verb (used with object)
to strike or scrape with the paws or feet: a dog pawing the door.
Informal. to handle or caress clumsily, rudely, or with unwelcome familiarity.
verb (used without object)
to beat or scrape the floor, ground, etc., with the paws or feet.
Informal. to handle or caress someone or something in a clumsy or rude manner or with unwelcome familiarity.
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Origin of paw
11300–50; Middle English pawe, variant of powe<Middle French poue (cognate with Provençal pauta) <Germanic; compare Dutch poot,German Pfote
OTHER WORDS FROM paw
pawer, nounun·pawed, adjectiveOther definitions for paw (2 of 2)
paw2
[ paw ]
/ pɔ /
noun Informal.
father; pa.
Origin of paw
21900–05, Americanism; earlier and dial. pronunciation of pa, reflecting the now lapsed constraint against a maximally open back vowel in an open stressed final syllable
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use paw in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for paw
paw
/ (pɔː) /
noun
any of the feet of a four-legged mammal, bearing claws or nails
informal a hand, esp one that is large, clumsy, etc
verb
to scrape or contaminate with the paws or feet
(tr) informal to touch or caress in a clumsy, rough, or overfamiliar manner; maul
Word Origin for paw
C13: via Old French from Germanic; related to Middle Dutch pōte, German Pfote
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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