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mawk. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
mawk, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
mawk in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
mawk you have here. The definition of the word
mawk will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
mawk, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English mawke, moke, a contraction of mathek, maddok, from Old Norse maðkr (“maggot”), a diminutive of a base from Proto-Germanic *maþô (“worm”) (compare Old English maþa), from Proto-Indo-European *mat-, *mot- used in reference to insects and vermin. Cognate with Danish maddike, Swedish mask, archaic English maddock (modern maggot).
Pronunciation
Noun
mawk (plural mawks)
- (obsolete except in dialects) A maggot.
- (UK, dialect, obsolete) A slattern.
Derived terms
Further reading
- [Francis Grose] (1788) “Mawkes”, in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 2nd edition, London: S. Hooper, , →OCLC.