Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Either of two bony or cartilaginous structures that in most vertebrates form the framework of the mouth and hold the teeth.
  • noun The mandible or maxilla or the part of the face covering these bones.
  • noun Any of various structures of invertebrates that have an analogous function to vertebrate jaws.
  • noun Either of two opposed hinged parts in a mechanical device.
  • noun The walls of a pass, canyon, or cavern.
  • noun A dangerous situation or confrontation.
  • noun Impudent argument or back talk.
  • noun A conversation or chat.
  • intransitive verb To talk vociferously; jabber.
  • intransitive verb To talk; converse.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A considerable quantity of any liquid; a wave.
  • To talk or gossip; also, to scold; clamor.
  • To seize with the jaws; bite; devour.
  • To abuse by scolding; use impertinent or Impudent language toward.
  • To pour out; throw or dash out rapidly, and in considerable quantity, as a liquid; splash; dash.
  • To splash; dash, as a wave.
  • noun One of the bones which form the skeleton or framework of the mouth; a maxilla or mandible; these bones collectively.
  • noun The bones and associated structures of the mouth, as the teeth and soft parts, taken together as instruments of prehension and mastication; mouth-parts in general: commonly in the plural.
  • noun Something resembling in position or use, in grasping or biting, the jaw or jaws of an animal.
  • noun [⟨ jaw, verb] Rude loquacity; coarse railing; abusive clamor; wrangling.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb Law To assail or abuse by scolding.
  • noun One of the bones, usually bearing teeth, which form the framework of the mouth.
  • noun Hence, also, the bone itself with the teeth and covering.
  • noun In the plural, the mouth.
  • noun Fig.: Anything resembling the jaw of an animal in form or action; esp., pl., the mouth or way of entrance.
  • noun A notch or opening.
  • noun A notched or forked part, adapted for holding an object in place. See Axle guard.
  • noun One of a pair of opposing parts which are movable towards or from each other, for grasping or crushing anything between them, .
  • noun (Naut.) The inner end of a boom or gaff, hollowed in a half circle so as to move freely on a mast.
  • noun Slang Impudent or abusive talk.
  • noun (Railroad) a bar across the jaws of a pedestal underneath an axle box.
  • noun [Obs.] a word difficult to pronounce.
  • noun (Naut.) a rope which holds the jaws of a gaff to the mast.
  • noun a molar or grinder; a back tooth.
  • intransitive verb Law To scold; to clamor.
  • intransitive verb To talk idly, long-windedly, or without special purpose.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun One of the bones, usually bearing teeth, which form the framework of the mouth.
  • noun The part of the face below the mouth.
  • noun figuratively Anything resembling the jaw of an animal in form or action; especially plural, the mouth or way of entrance.
  • noun A notch or opening.
  • noun A notched or forked part, adapted for holding an object in place.
  • noun One of a pair of opposing parts which are movable towards or from each other, for grasping or crushing anything between them.
  • noun The inner end of a boom or gaff, hollowed in a half circle so as to move freely on a mast.
  • noun Impudent or abusive talk.
  • noun slang Axle guard.
  • verb transitive To assail or abuse by scolding.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English jawe, jowe, perhaps from Old French joue, cheek.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English jawe, jowe, geowe, alteration of *chawe (in early Modern English chawe, chaw), from Proto-Germanic *kawōn (compare Middle Dutch kauwe ("fish jaw"), kouwe ("mouth cavity"), dialectal German Käu, Keu ("jaw, donkey jowl")), gradation-variant of *kewōn (compare Old English cīan (pl.) ‘gills’, West Frisian kiuw ‘gill’, Dutch kieuw ‘gill’), noun from Proto-Germanic *kewwanan (compare English chew). More at chew. Alteration probably influenced by Middle English jolle, chaul ("jowl"), which it replaced (see jowl).

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word jaw.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • "And then come back here, and this afternoon we'll have a good old-fashioned jaw."

    - Harold Frederic, The Damnation of Theron Ware, ch. 16

    August 2, 2008

  • "Rowland doesn't half love jawing"

    -Anthony Powell, Valley of Bones

    May 12, 2009

  • From Twitter: "you have a southern jaw". What is a southern jaw?

    September 19, 2016