daw

1 of 2

verb

ˈdȯ How to pronounce daw (audio)
ˈdä
dawed; dawing; daws

intransitive verb

chiefly Scotland
: dawn

daw

2 of 2

noun

ˈdȯ How to pronounce daw (audio)
: jackdaw

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English dagian; akin to Old High German tagēn to dawn, Old English dæg day

Noun

Middle English dawe; akin to Old High German taha jackdaw

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of daw was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near daw

Davy lamp

daw

dawdle

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Daw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daw. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

daw

noun
ˈdȯ
: jackdaw

More from Merriam-Webster on daw

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about daw

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...