rhizoverbBeta
DictionarymawSwallowing mouth
noun

maw

MAW/mɔː/

A mouth or mouthlike opening imagined as swallowing things.

The bear opens its maw toward the salmon.

A close view of a brown bear snapping up a salmon, with its open jaws and dark throat dominating the composition and the fish just outside its teeth.
Etymology
mawOld Englishstomach

Originally the stomach, the word shifted to the throat or gullet. Its figurative association with voracity helps explain the hungry, devouring force of an animal’s “maw.”

In context

Panda Fantasy Chronicles57:17
its gaping maw revealed sharp clearly visible fangs it really was a tiger
Boy Travels to Ancient Era, Gains Modern Arms System, Crushes Bandits, Builds the Strongest Empire!

More examples

  • The tunnel's dark maw swallowed the approaching train.
  • He peered into the maw of the furnace.
  • The fish vanished into the predator's maw.

Forms

maw · maws

Similar words

mouth
Mouth is neutral; maw evokes a large, hungry, or threatening opening.
chasm
A chasm is a deep gap; calling it a maw imagines it swallowing things.