Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tawse

/tɔːz/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.29 in modern English

Syllables: tawse
IPA: /tɔːz/

8

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A leather strap or thong which is split into (typically three) tails, used for corporal punishment in schools, applied to the palm of the hands or buttocks.

verb

To beat with a tawse.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"I lay about me with the taws That night and morning I may thrash Greek Alexander from my flesh, […]"
"[W]hile James Murray might punish a late comer by a stroke on the palm of the hand, the children found his lessons so interesting that he had no need to resort to the "tawse", the traditional leather strap, that descended on the shoulders of Mr Dodds' pupils at the United school."

Etymology

Apparently a plural form of taw, though attested earlier.

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

tawses (plural) taws (alternative) tawses (present, singular) tawsing (participle, present) tawsed (participle, past) tawsed (past)

Rhymes With

because cause laws draws pause clause applause jaws claws paws saws gauze

Questions

How do you pronounce tawse?: The recorded pronunciation is /tɔːz/.
What does tawse mean?: A leather strap or thong which is split into (typically three) tails, used for corporal punishment in schools, applied to the palm of the hands or buttocks.
Where does tawse come from?: Apparently a plural form of taw, though attested earlier.

How to pronounce tawse

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