daw

See also Daw, and DAW

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /dɔː/, X-SAMPA: /dO:/
• Rhymes: -ɔː
• Homophone: door (in non-rhotic accents)

Etymology 1

From Middle English dawe, from Old English dāwe, from Proto-Germanic *dēhǭ (compare German Dahle, Dohle, dialectal Tach), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰākʷ- (compare Old Prussian doacke (“starling”)).

Noun

daw (plural daws)

1. A western jackdaw, Corvus monedula; a bird of crow family, more commonly called jackdaw.
2. (obsolete) An idiot, a simpleton; fool.
   • 2002, Joseph O'Connor, Star of the Sea, Vintage 2003, p.

     ‘Of course I do, you great daw.’ She kissed his beautiful mouth and moved his fringe out of his eyes.

Synonyms

• jackdaw, western jackdaw, Eurasian jackdaw, European jackdaw

Translations

Corvus monedula — see jackdaw

Etymology 2

Middle English dawen, from Old English dagian (“to dawn”), from Proto-Germanic *dagāną (“to become day, dawn”), from Proto-Germanic *dagaz (“day”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰAǵʰ- (“day”). More at day.

Verb

daw (third-person singular simple present daws, present participle dawing, simple past and past participle dawed)

1. (obsolete, except in Scotland) To dawn.
2. (obsolete) To wake (someone) up.
   • 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book XI:

     And than Sir Bors toke her up and dawed her, and whan she awaked she kneled afore tho three knyghtes and hylde up bothe her hondys [...].

3. (obsolete) To daunt; to terrify.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of B. Jonson to this entry?)

Translations

dawn — see dawn

Anagrams

• ADW
• AWD
• wad, WAD