maw

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“
If a man wants to be famous, he had much better try the advertising doctor than the terrible editor, whose waste-basket is a maw which is as insatiable as the temporary stomach of Jack the Giant-killer You must not talk so," said Number Five.

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Definitions (13)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun The mouth, stomach, jaws, or gullet of a voracious animal, especially a carnivore.
  2. noun The opening into something felt to be insatiable: "I saw the opening maw of hell” (Herman Melville).

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (7)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (1)

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Examples (50)

  • Within the maw were spinning sets of teeth, like great scythes. —  JEFF GRUBB
  • Doc corked a wadded handkerchief into the gaping maw, and Leaking could only squeal through his nose Next, Doc gagged plump Hallet Leaking was carried helplessly through the door into the inner office. —  019 - Fear Cay
  • When a stone fell there were hardly more than a few ripples quivering on the surface of the gulf: the monster opened and shut its maw, and there was left no trace of what had been. —  Jean-Christophe, Vol. I
  • He tossed the remains of the forbidden fruit into the T. rex's gaping maw, and T. rex swallowed reflexively. —  AnalogSFF,May2008
  • Fear like a mouse went first into that maw, then jealousy and timid insecurity. —  J
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This word has been looked up 138 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English mawe, from Old English maga.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English maw, mawe, maghe, from Anglo-Saxon maga = Dutch maage, maag = Middle Low German mage, Low German mage, maag = Old High German mago, Middle High German mage, German magen = Icelandic magi = Swedish mage = Danish mave (cf. Italian dial, magone, crop of birds, magun, maw, from Old High German), maw, stomach: the native Teutonic word for ‘stomach.’
  2. Origin obscure.
 

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/mɔ/
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