What does taw mean?
Taw is a rare English word with two broad kinds of use. As a noun, it can denote a lump, mass, or piece of material, particularly a piece or portion of food; in older usage it can also mean a small, round marble. As a verb, taw means to make something dirty or soil it and, intransitively, to become dirty. The word is chiefly associated with older British English, dialect speech, and obsolete literature rather than contemporary standard usage. Its compact sound and limited modern currency make it easier to encounter in dictionaries, historical texts, or regional writing than in ordinary conversation. Although it is no longer common, taw remains useful to a reader because it preserves several older senses connected with lumps, objects, and physical dirtiness that have largely disappeared from standard English.
A lump, mass, or piece of something, especially food; also, in older usage, a small round marble.
"The shop sold pieces of taw in every color."
Rare and chiefly archaic or dialectal in British English.
To make dirty or soil; also, intransitively, to become dirty.
"The wet road tawed the hem of her skirt."
Chiefly archaic or dialectal; the transitive and intransitive uses are both recorded.
The regular plural is used for the noun, particularly in the sense of small marbles.
"The boy kept a collection of brightly colored taws in his pocket."
Taw can mean both a tiny marble and the act of making something dirty—a compact reminder that even a modest old word can cover surprisingly different ideas.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does taw come from?
The verb is generally traced through Middle English tawen to Old English tāwian, meaning “to make dirty” or “to soil.” Related forms survived in Scots and other northern English dialects, including the adjective tawy, meaning dirty or squalid. The precise development and relationship of the noun senses are less certain, although they were established in Middle English.
Related word forms
How taw is actually used
Taw is now rare and sounds archaic or dialectal. Its noun senses belong chiefly to older British English, while the verb is especially associated with archaic and northern English usage. It should not be confused with the unrelated modern surname or place-name Taw.