jaw

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

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”), German dialect Käu ‘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).

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: jôː, IPA: /ʤɔː/, SAMPA: /dZO:/
• (US) enPR: jô, IPA: /ʤɔ/, SAMPA: /dZO/
• (cot–caught merger) enPR: jä, IPA: /ʤɑ/, SAMPA: /dZA/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː

Noun

jaw (plural jaws)

1. One of the bones, usually bearing teeth, which form the framework of the mouth.
2. (figuratively) Anything resembling the jaw of an animal in form or action; especially plural, the mouth or way of entrance; as, the jaws of a pass; the jaws of darkness; the jaws of death.
3. A notch or opening.
4. A notched or forked part, adapted for holding an object in place; as, the jaw of a railway-car pedestal. See Axle guard.
5. One of a pair of opposing parts which are movable towards or from each other, for grasping or crushing anything between them, as, the jaws of a vise, or the jaws of a stone-crushing machine.
6. The inner end of a boom or gaff, hollowed in a half circle so as to move freely on a mast.
7. Impudent or abusive talk.
8. (slang) Axle guard.

Derived terms

• slack-jawed

Translations

bone of the jaw

Arabic: فك (ar) (fakk) m. Armenian: ծնոտ (hy) (çnot) Old Armenian: ծնօտ (cnōt) Chinese: Mandarin: 顎 (cmn), 颚 (cmn) (è), 下顎 (cmn), 下颚 (cmn) (xià'è), 頜 (cmn), 颌 (cmn) (hé) Czech: čelist (cs) f. Dutch: kaak (nl) f. Finnish: leukaluu (fi), leuka (fi) French: mâchoire (fr) f., mâchoire inférieure (fr) f., mâchoire supérieure (fr) f. German: Kiefer (de) m., Unterkiefer (de) m., Oberkiefer (de) m., Kinnbacke (de) f. Greek: σαγόνι (el) (sagóni) n. Italian: mandibola (it) f.

Japanese: 齶 (ja) (あご, ago) Latin: maxilla (la) f. Latvian: žoklis (lv) m. Macedonian: вилица (mk) (vílica) f., челуст (mk) (čélust) f. Navajo: ayaatsʼiin Polish: czeluść (pl) f. Portuguese: mandíbula (pt) f. Romanian: mandibulă (ro) f., mandibule (ro) f. pl., falcă (ro), maxilar (ro) Russian: челюсть (ru) (čéljust') f. Scottish Gaelic: giall (gd) f. Spanish: mandíbula (es) f. Swedish: käke (sv) c. Taos: ȍdénemą Thai: กราม (th) Volapük: maxül (vo), donamaxül (vo), löpamaxül (vo)

bone itself with the teeth and covering

Finnish: leuka (fi)

Scottish Gaelic: giall (gd) f. Thai: กราม (th)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Esperanto: makzelo German: Kinnbacke f. (1,2, lower); Rachen (2,3), Schlund (2,3); Backe (7)

Korean: 턱 (teog, teok) (1-6) Serbo-Croatian: вилица (1,2), чељуст (1,2), губица (1,2) Telugu: దవడ (davaDa) (1, 2, 3)

See also

• chin

Verb

jaw (third-person singular simple present jaws, present participle jawing, simple past and past participle jawed)

1. (transitive) To assail or abuse by scolding.
2. (intransitive) To scold; to clamor.
3. (intransitive, informal) To talk; to converse.
4. (snooker, transitive, intransitive) (of a ball) To stick in the jaws of a pocket.