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