English Explanatory Dictionary

paw

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The soft foot of a mammal or other animal, generally a quadruped, that has claws or nails; comparable to a human hand or foot.
  2. A hand.
verb
  1. Of an animal, to touch (something) with a paw.
  2. Of an animal, to dig through (something, such as a garbage can) with paws.
  3. Of an animal, to draw the forefoot along the ground; to beat or scrape with the forefoot.
  4. To touch (someone) in a sexual way.
  5. To clumsily dig (through something).
  6. To flatter.
noun
  1. Alternative form of pa (“father”).
noun
  1. Abbreviation of plasma arc welding (an arc welding technology).
  2. Abbreviation of plasma arc weld (a weld created with the PAW process).

Pronunciation

pô /pɔː/ /pɔ/ pä /pɑ/ /poː/ en-uk-paw.ogg en-us-paw.ogg

Word forms

paw paws pawing pawed

Etymology

From Middle English pawe, from Old French poue, poe, from Vulgar Latin *pauta. Further origin unknown, perhaps from Frankish *pōta, from Frankish *pōtōn (“to put, stick, plant”), from Proto-Germanic *putōną, whence also Old English potian (“to push”), pȳtan (“to put out, poke out”). See more at put. Doublet of pote, put, and putt. Cognate with Dutch poot, poten (“to plant”), Low German Pote, German Pfote, Icelandic pota (“to stick”).

Synonyms

hand foot feel up fiddle fondle grope palpate touch up fumble go through rummage ayr ba baba da dad dada daddio daddy father fatherling old man pa pap papa papa bear papaw pappaw pappy pater patriarch paw pawpaw peepaw pepaw pop poppa poppy pops sire PAW welding PAW weld

Derived words

bear paw bear's-paw Bearspaw catpaw cat's paw chicken paw facepaw footpaw forepaw fox's paw give paw grandpaw grinch paw kangaroo paw monkey's paw northpaw on the other paw paddy paw pawdicure pawer pawful pawgun pawjob pawless pawlice pawlike pawmark pawpad pawprint pawrent pawshake pawsies pawsitive pawsome pawstep pawternity leave pawtism pawty peet southpaw tiger paw paw at paw off paw up pawpaw step-paw

Translations

Finnish: käpälöidä Japanese: 足で押す
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