Tawse
/tɔːz/noun
A short leather strap, formerly used for corporal punishment, especially in Scottish schools.
Did you know?Tawse is tied to Scots and likely comes from Old French *tasse* or a related leather term, showing how a simple everyday object word could become the name of a school discipline weapon.
Etymological Timeline
Middle English
Scots
taws
“a strap or thong of leather”
15th–16th Century
Middle English
tawse
“a leather strap or lash”
Modern English
English
tawse
“a leather strap used for punishment”
Modern English
English
tawse
“a leather strap used for punishment”