Paw

Pronunciation: /pɔː/

Definitions of paw

noun the foot of an animal that has claws or nails

Example Sentences

A1 The cat used its paw to play with the toy.

A2 The dog's paw was injured, so it had to wear a bandage.

B1 The bear left its paw prints in the mud as it wandered through the forest.

B2 The tiger's powerful paw swiped at its prey, bringing it down in one swift motion.

C1 The skilled surgeon delicately operated on the patient's paw, saving it from amputation.

C2 The expert tracker could identify animals just by looking at their distinctive paw prints.

Examples of paw in a Sentence

formal The dog gently placed its paw on the child's hand.

informal My cat always likes to swat at my hand with her paw.

slang I can't believe he actually got a tattoo on his paw.

figurative She had to use every tool at her disposal to get a foot in the door, even if it meant playing the game and kissing some corporate paw.

Grammatical Forms of paw

• past tense: pawed
• plural: paws
• comparative: more paw
• superlative: most paw
• present tense: paws
• future tense: will paw
• perfect tense: have pawed
• continuous tense: is pawing
• singular: paw
• positive degree: paw
• infinitive: to paw
• gerund: pawing
• participle: pawed

Origin and Evolution of paw

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old French

Story behind the word: The word 'paw' is believed to have originated from the Old French word 'paut', which comes from the Frankish word 'patta' meaning 'sole of the foot'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'paw' has evolved to refer specifically to the foot of an animal, especially a quadruped, and is commonly used to describe the soft, padded underside of an animal's foot.