paw

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The foot of an animal such as a dog, cat, or bear, that has claws.

   The cat licked its paw clean.

2. 2
   verb

   To touch or scrape something repeatedly with a paw.

   The dog pawed at the door to be let outside.

3. 3
   verb

   To touch someone roughly or in an unwanted, often sexual, way.

   She pushed him away when he tried to paw her.

From Middle English pawe, from Old French poue, poe, from Vulgar Latin *pauta. Further origin unknown, perhaps from Frankish *pōta, from Frankish *pōtōn (“to put, stick, plant”), from Proto-Germanic *putōną, whence also Old English potian (“to push”), pȳtan (“to put out, poke out”). See more at put. Doublet of pote, put, and putt. Cognate with Dutch poot, poten (“to plant”), Low German Pote, German Pfote, Icelandic pota (“to stick”).

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