jaw1

[jaw] /dʒɔ/
noun
1.
either of two bones, the mandible or maxilla, forming the framework of the mouth.
2.
the part of the face covering these bones, the mouth, or the mouth parts collectively:
My jaw is swollen.
3.
jaws, anything resembling a pair of jaws or evoking the concept of grasping and holding:
the jaws of a gorge; the jaws of death.
4.
Machinery.
  1. one of two or more parts, as of a machine, that grasp or hold something:
    the jaws of a vise.
  2. any of two or more protruding parts for attaching to or meshing with similar parts.
5.
Often, jaws. Also called throat. Nautical. a forked piece at the end of a gaff, fitting halfway around the mast.
6.
Slang.
  1. idle talk; chatter.
  2. impertinent talk.
verb (used without object)
7.
Slang.
  1. to talk; chat; gossip.
  2. to scold or use abusive language.
verb (used with object)
8.
Slang. to scold.
Origin
1325-75; Middle English jawe, jowe < Old French joue; origin uncertain
Related forms
jawless, adjective

jaw2

[jaw] /dʒɔ/
noun
1.
a swelling wave of water; billow.
verb (used without object)
2.
(of liquid) to surge, splash, or dash forward, as in waves.
verb (used with object)
3.
to pour or splash (liquid).
Origin
1505-15; perhaps akin to jaup
Examples from the web for jaws
  • Snakes eat everything whole, often dislocating their own jaws as they stuff their prey-sometimes alive-into their mouths.
  • One of the tricks was for his dogs to beg with cigarettes in their jaws.
  • We owe both the lever system in our jaws and small bones in our ear to our shark ancestors.
  • Their jaws don't have enough stiff cartilage to withstand the stress of chomping on large prey.
  • The animal had large, powerful jaws, which secured the predator a place atop the local food chain.
  • The little town is busting at the seams, and the sheer scale of the mining operations around it makes jaws drop.
  • There were the eyes in their sockets staring up at me, the tiny teeth in their jaws, and the nasal cavities exposed.
  • The wolf let out a triumphal howl from a merry throat and kissed the sheep with jaws that tore not.
  • Eaters observe others who are similarly working their jaws.
  • At night she dreamed that he had bitten into her body and that his jaws were dripping.
British Dictionary definitions for jaws

jaws

/dʒɔːz/
plural noun
1.
the narrow opening of some confined place such as a gorge
2.
the jaws, a dangerously close position: the jaws of death

jaw

/dʒɔː/
noun
1.
the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth. In higher vertebrates it consists of the upper jaw (maxilla) fused to the cranium and the lower jaw (mandible) related adjectives gnathal gnathic
2.
the corresponding part of an invertebrate, esp an insect
3.
a pair or either of a pair of hinged or sliding components of a machine or tool designed to grip an object
4.
(slang)
  1. impudent talk; cheek
  2. idle conversation; chat
  3. moralizing talk; a lecture
verb
5.
(intransitive) (slang)
  1. to talk idly; chat; gossip
  2. to lecture
See also jaws
Derived Forms
jawlike, adjective
Word Origin
C14: probably from Old French joue cheek; related to Italian gota cheek
Word Origin and History for jaws

jaw

n.

late 14c., "the bones of the mouth," perhaps from Old French joue "cheek," from Gaulish *gauta "cheek," or perhaps a variant of Germanic words related to chew (q.v.); cf. also jowl. Replaced Old English ceace, ceafl.

v.

1610s, "to catch in the jaws, devour," from jaw (n.). In slang from 1748, "to gossip, to speak" 1810, "to scold." Related: Jawed; jawing. Hence 19c. U.S. slang jawsmith "talkative person" (1887).

jaws in Medicine

jaw (jô)
n.

  1. Either of two bony structures that form the framework of the mouth and hold the teeth.

  2. The mandible or maxilla or the part of the face covering these bones.

jaw'less adj.
jaws in Science
jaw
  (jô)   

  1. Either of two bony or cartilaginous structures that in most vertebrate animals form the framework of the mouth, hold the teeth, and are used for biting and chewing food. The lower, movable part of the jaw is the mandible. The upper, fixed part is the maxilla.

  2. Any of various structures of invertebrate animals, such as the pincers of spiders or mites, that function similarly to the jaws of vertebrates.


Slang definitions & phrases for jaws

jaw

noun

: ain't had a good jaw together (1842+)

verb
  1. To talk; chat; converse: Can't stand here jawing with you all day (1760+)
  2. To exhort; lecture; strive to persuade orally; jawbone: had kept sober for several months by jawing drunks, unsuccessfully (1810+)
Related Terms

bat one's gums, crack one's jaw, flapjaw, glass jaw, ratchet-mouth