Jaws
/dʒɔːz/noun
The two bony structures of the mouth that hold the teeth and are used for biting and chewing.
Did you know?The singular “jaw” is first recorded in Middle English, but its ultimate origin is uncertain; one scholarly theory links it to Old French joue, “cheek,” possibly related to Latin gaudium, “joy.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰāu-
“A proposed ancestral root associated with rejoicing or enjoyment; this connection to jaw is uncertain.”
Classical Latin
Latin
gaudium
“Joy or delight; a proposed source in one theory of the jaw word’s history.”
Old French
Old French
joue
“Cheek; commonly cited as a possible source of Middle English jaw.”
Middle English
English
jawe
“Cheek, jaw, or the side of the face.”
15th Century
English
jaw
“The bony structure of the mouth, increasingly distinguished from the broader meaning “cheek.””
Modern English
English
jaws
“The plural form, also used figuratively for powerful gripping or biting structures, especially those of animals.”