taw (v.)

"prepare (leather, skin, hide) for use," Middle English tauen, from Old English tawian, getawian "prepare, make ready, make; cultivate," also "harass, insult, outrage," from Proto-Germanic *tawōjanan (source also of Old Frisian tawa, Old Saxon toian, Middle Dutch tauwen, Dutch touwen, Old High German zouwen "to prepare," Old High German zawen "to succeed," Gothic taujan "to make, prepare").

This is reconstructed to be from a Proto-Germanic root *taw- "to make, manufacture" (compare tool (n.), and Old English towcraft "spinning"). Boutkan offers no IE etymology for it and writes that the derivation given in Pokorny "seems unlikely for semantic reasons" (and notes that Pokorny himself expressed doubts).

Specifically "to tan or cure by alum and salt." Related: Tawed; tawing. Agent noun tauier, tawyer, tower is attested from early 14c., mid-13c. as a surname.

taw (n.)

"a game at marbles," 1709, also the name of a large or fancy marble used in shooting it, a word of unknown origin. It also meant the line from which one shoots in playing the game, hence old expressions in British English figurative of a starting line or mark.

also from 1709

Entries linking to taw

tool (n.)

Middle English tol, from Old English tol "mechanical instrument for manual use, implement used by a craftsman or laborer, weapon," from Proto-Germanic *tōwalan "implement" (source also of Old Norse tol), from a verb stem represented by Old English tawian "prepare" (see taw).

The ending is the instrumental suffix -el (1).

BOSWELL. 'I think Dr. Franklin's definition of Man a good one —"A tool making animal." ' JOHNSON. 'But many a man never made a tool ; and suppose a man without arms, he could not make a tool.' [Boswell's Life of Johnson]

The figurative sense of "that which is used as a means to some end," especially "person used by another for his own ends" is recorded from 1660s.

In figurative use instrument is generally employed in a good sense, but tool in a dishonorable and contemptuous sense ; we speak of a man as the instrument of Providence, or as a mere tool of cunning men. [Century Dictionary, 1891]

The meaning "sex organ" is by early 15c.; specifically as "penis" by 1550s in slang. As "useless or shiftless fellow," in slang by 1700.

heriot (n.)

Old English here-geatwe (plural) "military equipment, army-gear," from here "army" (see harry (v.)) + geatwe, from Proto-Germanic *gatawja- "equipment," from Germanic root *taw- "to make, manufacture" (see taw (v.)). An Anglo-Saxon service of weapons, loaned by the lord to his retainer and repayable to him upon the retainer's death; sense transferred by 13c. to a feudal due upon the death of a tenant, payable to his lord in beasts.

taws

tow

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Trends of taw

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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ramble

mid-15c., ramblen, "to wander, roam about in a leisurely manner," perhaps frequentative of romen "to walk, go" (see roam), perhaps via romblen (late 14c.) "to ramble." The vowel change is perhaps by influence of Middle Dutch rammelen, a derivative of rammen "copulate," "used of t

marble

type of crystalline limestone much used in sculpture, monuments, etc., early 14c., by dissimilation from marbra (mid-12c.), from Old French marbre (which itself underwent dissimilation of 2nd -r- to -l- in 14c.; marbre persisted in English into early 15c.), from Latin marmor, fro

letter

c. 1200, "graphic symbol, alphabetic sign, written character conveying information about sound in speech," from Old French letre "character, letter; missive, note," in plural, "literature, writing, learning" (10c., Modern French lettre), from Latin littera (also litera) "letter o

dandy

"man who draws attention by unusual finery of dress and fastidiousness manners, a fop," c. 1780, of uncertain origin; attested earliest in a Scottish border ballad: I've heard my granny crack O' sixty twa years back When there were sic a stock of Dandies O etc. In that regi

compensate

1640s, "to be equivalent;" 1650s, "to counterbalance, make up for, give a substitute of equal value to," from Latin compensatus, past participle of compensare "to weigh one thing (against another)," thus, "to counterbalance," etymologically "to weigh together," from com "with, to

regulate

early 15c., regulaten, "adjust by rule, method, or control," from Late Latin regulatus, past participle of regulare "to control by rule, direct," from Latin regula "rule, straight piece of wood" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct i

reproach

mid-14c., reproche, "a rebuke, blame, censure" directed against a person; also "object of scorn or contempt;" c. 1400, as "disgrace, state of disgrace," from Anglo-French repruce, Old French reproche "blame, shame, disgrace" (12c.), from reprochier "to blame, bring up against." O

Goth

Old English Gota (plural Gotan) "a member of the Germanic people who lived in Eastern Europe c.100 C.E.," from Late Latin Gothus (plural Gothi), from Greek Gothos (plural Gothoi), from Gothic *Gutos, which is preserved in Gothic gutþiuda "Gothic people," the first element cognate

broad

Old English brad "wide, not narrow," also "flat, open, extended," from Proto-Germanic *braidi- (source also of Old Frisian bred, Old Norse breiðr, Dutch breed, German breit, Gothic brouþs), which is of unknown origin. Not found outside Germanic languages. There is no clear distin

monument

late 13c., "a sepulchre," from Old French monument "grave, tomb, monument," and directly from Latin monumentum "a monument, memorial structure, statue; votive offering; tomb; memorial record," literally "something that reminds," a derivative of monere "to remind, bring to (one's)

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updated on January 20, 2024

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Dictionary entries near taw

tauten

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tautology

tavern

taw

tawdry

tawny

taws

tax

taxable