chaw
/t͡ʃɔ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.01 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "When the doctor told him to quit smoking, Harvey switched to chaw, but then developed cancer of the mouth."
- ""YOU give him a chaw, did you? So did your sister's cat's grandmother. You pay me back the chaws you've awready borry'd off'n me, Lafe Buckner, then I'll loan you one or two ton of it, and won't charge you no back intrust, nuther.""
- "He […] went into the store and behind the counter and reached up and got the plug of chewing tobacco and unwrapped it and bit off a chaw."
- "Henry paused to see what kind of effect his words were having, but Red’s face was expressionless; all Henry could see was his jaw tensing rhythmically as he worked on his chaw."
- "The trampling steede, with gold and purple trapt,"
- "And next to him malicious Envy rode, Upon a ravenous wolfe, and still did chaw Betweene his cankred teeth a venemous tode […]"
Etymology
An unexplained variation of chewen (“to chew”). First attested in the sixteenth century. See chew for more. Cognate with Middle Dutch cauwen ("to chew"; whence Dutch kauwen), obsolete Dutch kauw (“the act of chewing, that which is chewed, chewed mass, wad of tobacco”), Middle Low German kauwen, kauen (“to chew”). Compare also Old English ġecow (“that which is chewed, food”) and *ġeċēaw (“chewing”), whence Middle English icheu (“gnawing, biting”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /t͡ʃɔ/
- British English: /t͡ʃɔː/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Food.