kaws

See also: Kaws

English

Verb

kaws

third-person singular simple present indicative of kaw

Anagrams

Skaw, SWAK, awsk, skaw

White Hmong

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /kaɨ̯˩/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Hmong *kowᴰ (“to gnaw”).^[1]

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “The Hmong-Mien reconstructions page lists Old Chinese 咬 (OC *kreːw, *ŋɡreːwʔ, *qreːw, “to bite”) as a potential cognate; however, the Hmong-Mien form is reconstructed with a checked D tone, which isn't suggested by the Old Chinese form. A better match, both formally (checked tone) and semantically ("gnawing" connotations), is 齧 (OC *ŋeːd, “to gnaw, bite”). The nasal initial in the Chinese form seems problematic, however. In either case, the word is probably of sound-symbolic origin.”

Verb

kaws

to gnaw, to chew upon
Dev kaws pob txha. ― The dob gnaws the bone.

Nees kaws kaws zaub. ― The horse nibbles on the grass.

Etymology 2

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Not mentioned by Ratliff at all. Clipping of Thai คางคก (kaang-kók, “toad”) or Lao ຄັນຄາກ (khan khāk, “id”)?”

Noun

kaws

used in qav kaws (“toad”)
1. (slang) toad

References

Heimbach, Ernest E. (1979) White Hmong — English Dictionary‎^[1], SEAP Publications, →ISBN, page 79.

^ Ratliff, Martha (2010) Hmong-Mien language history (Studies in Language Change; 8), Camberra, Australia: Pacific Linguistics, →ISBN, page 275.

[1] Ratliff, Martha (2010) Hmong-Mien language history (Studies in Language Change; 8), Camberra, Australia: Pacific Linguistics, →ISBN, page 275.

[1]