paw
1
[ paw ]
/ pɔ /
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.
Origin of paw
1
1300–50; Middle English
pawe, variant of
powe < Middle French
poue (cognate with Provençal
pauta) < Germanic; compare Dutch
poot, German
Pfote
OTHER WORDS FROM paw
paw·er, noun un·pawed, adjectiveWords nearby paw
pavlovian conditioning,
pavo,
pavonine,
pavor nocturnus,
pavé,
paw,
pawky,
pawl,
pawn,
pawn off,
pawn ticket
Definition for paw (2 of 2)
paw
2
[ paw ]
/ pɔ /
noun Informal.
father; pa.
Origin of paw
2
1900–05,
Americanism; earlier and dial. pronunciation of
pa, reflecting the now lapsed constraint against a maximally open back vowel in an open stressed final syllable
Example sentences from the Web for paw
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