Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

taw

/ˈtaʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.32 in modern English

Syllables
taw
IPA
/ˈtaʊ/
6
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To prepare or dress, as hemp, by beating; to tew.

Obsolete; Transitive verb

verb

To beat; to scourge.

Transitive verb

verb

To dress and prepare, as the skins of sheep, lambs, goats, and kids, for gloves, etc., by imbuing them with alum, salt, and other agents, for softening and bleaching them.

Transitive verb

verb

To dress and prepare, as the skins of sheep, lambs, goats, and kids, for gloves, etc., by imbuing them with alum, salt, and other agents, for softening and bleaching them.

Transitive verb

noun

Tawed leather.

Obsolete

noun

A line or mark from which the players begin a game of marbles.

noun

A dance partner.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English tawen, from Old English tawian (“to do, make”), from Proto-West Germanic *tawōn, a variant of Proto-West Germanic *tauwjan, from Proto-Germanic *tawjaną (“to make, prepare”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂- (“to tie to, secure”). Cognate with Dutch touwen (“to rope, tether, curry”), Dutch tuien (“to fasten with ropes”), German Tau (“rope, hawser, cable”), Gothic 𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌾𐌰𐌽 (taujan, “to make, prepare”). Related to tool and possibly to tether.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *dewh₂-, tawen, tawian, *tawōn, *tauwjan, *tawjaną

Regional Pronunciation

  • British English: /tɔː/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce taw?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtaʊ/.
What does taw mean?
To prepare or dress, as hemp, by beating; to tew.
Where does taw come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce taw

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “taw”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈtaʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “taw”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “taw” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.