What does "taw" mean?
Tawed leather.
Taw
/tɔː/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Tawed leather.
- Grammar: taw is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: shooter, ball, bat, battledore.
- Useful contrasts: regular marble, target.
- Usage evidence: “The only things we want to see are better education, better healthcare and true peace across the country,” says Daw Mu Taw, an elderly woman from the Padaung tribe who is selling home-made honey in dis-used whiskey bottles.
How to use "taw"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "taw" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "taw" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "taw" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "taw" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "taw" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "shooter" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "taw", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Tawed leather. obsolete
- 2 A favorite marble in the game of marbles.
"Near the timberyard a squatted child at marbles, alone, shooting the taw with a cunnythumb."
- 3 The 22nd and last letter of many Semitic alphabets/abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic.
- 4 a large marble used for shooting in the game of marbles wordnet
- 5 A line or mark from which the players begin a game of marbles.
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 the 23rd letter of the Hebrew alphabet wordnet
- 7 A dance partner.
"Walk around your corner; see-saw around your taw."
- 8 A favorite person; beloved, partner, spouse.
Verb
- 1 To prepare or dress, as hemp, by beating; to tew. obsolete, transitive
- 2 To shoot a marble.
- 3 To push; to tug; to tow.
"Swans vpon the Streame to tawe me"
- 4 To beat; to scourge. broadly, transitive
- 5 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
Show 1 more definition
- 6 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.; To turn (animals' hide) into leather, usually by soaking it in a certain solution. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A river in Devon, England, which flows into an estuary where it meets the River Torridge.
- 2 The station code of Tai Wai in Hong Kong.
Antonyms
regular marbletarget
Example
"“The only things we want to see are better education, better healthcare and true peace across the country,” says Daw Mu Taw, an elderly woman from the Padaung tribe who is selling home-made honey in dis-used whiskey bottles."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "taw"?
Common synonyms include: shooter, ball, bat, battledore, bauble, block.
How do you use "taw" in a sentence?
“The only things we want to see are better education, better healthcare and true peace across the country,” says Daw Mu Taw, an elderly woman from the Padaung tribe who is selling home-made honey in dis-used whiskey bottles.
How do you pronounce "taw"?
Pronounced /tɔː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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 tether.
Etymology 2
Unknown. Attested in English from the 18th century. Compare Old English tāw (“instrument”). Also compare Irish togh (“choose, elect”).
Etymology 3
Compare Phoenician 𐤕 (tāw), Hebrew ת (tav), Arabic تاء (tāʔ).
Etymology 4
Compare tew (“to tow”), and tow.