Paws
/pɔːz/noun
The feet of an animal with claws, pads, or similar structures; also used informally for a human hand.
Did you know?The word traces back to a very old Indo-European root for “foot,” showing how languages can preserve the body’s oldest survival vocabulary for thousands of years.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ped-
“foot”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*fōts
“foot”
Old English
OE
pawa / pæwa?
“a paw or foot-like animal foot (attested later in English forms)”
Middle English
ME
pawe
“the foot of a beast, especially a cat or dog”
Modern English
English
paws
“animal feet with claws or pads”
Explore more surprising origins