saw

English Online Dictionary. What means saw‎? What does saw mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sô, IPA^(key): /ˈsɔː/

  Homophones: (in some non-rhotic accents): soar, sore

• Rhymes: -ɔː
• (US) enPR: sô, IPA^(key): /ˈsɔ/
• (US, intrusive r, New England) IPA^(key): [ˈsɔɹ]
• (cot–caught merger) enPR: sä, IPA^(key): /ˈsɑ/

• (idiosyncratic, past tense of 'see') IPA^(key): /ˈsɑl/

Etymology 1

The noun from Middle English sawe, sawgh, from Old English saga, sagu (“saw”), from Proto-West Germanic *sagu, from Proto-Germanic *sagô, *sagō (“saw”), from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”).

Cognate with West Frisian seage (“saw”), Dutch zaag (“saw”), German Säge (“saw”), Danish sav (“saw”), Swedish såg (“saw”), Icelandic sög (“saw”), and through Indo-European, with Latin secō (“cut”) and Italian sega (“saw”).

The verb from Middle English sawen, from the noun above.

Noun

saw (plural saws)

2. A tool with a toothed blade used for cutting hard substances, in particular wood or metal.
   1. Such a tool with an abrasive coating instead of teeth.
3. A musical saw.
4. A sawtooth wave.
5. (whist) The situation where two partners agree to trump a suit alternately, playing that suit to each other for the express purpose.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Descendants

• Sranan Tongo: sa

Translations

Verb

saw (third-person singular simple present saws, present participle sawing, simple past sawed, past participle sawed or sawn)

1. (transitive) To cut (something) with a saw.
2. (intransitive) To make a motion back and forth similar to cutting something with a saw.
3. (intransitive) To be cut with a saw.

4. (transitive) To form or produce (something) by cutting with a saw.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English sawe, from Old English sagu, saga (“story, tale, saying, statement, report, narrative, tradition”), from Proto-West Germanic *sagā, from Proto-Germanic *sagō, *sagǭ (“saying, story”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷe-, *skʷē-, from *sekʷ- (“to say”).

Cognate with Dutch sage (“saga”), German Sage (“legend, saga, tale, fable”), Danish sagn (“legend”), Norwegian soga (“story”), Icelandic saga (“story, tale, history”). More at saga, say. Doublet of saga.

Noun

saw (plural saws)

1. (obsolete) Something spoken; speech, discourse.
2. (archaic) A saying or proverb.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:saying

   • 2017, Andrew Marantz, "Becoming Steve Bannon's Bannon", The New Yorker, Feb 13&20 ed.

     There’s an old saw about Washington, D.C., that staffers in their twenties know more about the minutiae of government than their bosses do.

3. (obsolete) Opinion, idea, belief.

   by thy saw ― in your opinion

   commune saw ― common opinion/knowledge

   on no saw ― by no means

4. (obsolete) Proposal, suggestion; possibility.
   • c. 1350-1400, unknown, The Erl of Toulous

     All they assentyd to the sawe; They thoght he spake reson and lawe.

5. (obsolete) Dictate; command; decree.

Derived terms

• soothsaw
• withsaw

Translations

Etymology 3

Verb

saw

1. simple past of see
2. (colloquial, nonstandard) past participle of see

See also

• saw sam sai (etymologically unrelated)

Anagrams

• ASW, AWS, Was, aws, was

Atong (India)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sʰaw/

Adjective

saw (Bengali script সাৱ)

1. rotten

Khasi

Etymology

From Proto-Khasian *saːw, an innovation of the Khasian branch. Cognate with Pnar soo.

Numeral

saw

1. four

Middle English

Noun

saw

1. saw

Northern Kurdish

Noun

saw ?

1. terror
2. horror

Scots

Pronunciation

• (Doric and most Southern Scots dialects) IPA^(key): /sa/
• (Central and some Southern Scots dialects) IPA^(key): /sɔ/

Etymology 1

Verb

saw

1. (South Scots) simple past tense of sei
2. (Northern and Central) simple past tense of see

Etymology 2

Noun

saw (plural saws)

1. A salve.

Zhuang

Pronunciation

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /θaɯ˨˦/
• Tone numbers: saw¹
• Hyphenation: saw

Etymology 1

From Proto-Tai *sɯːᴬ (“writing; book”), from Middle Chinese 書 (MC syo, “writing; book”). Cognate with Lao ສື (sư̄), Thai สือ (sʉ̌ʉ).

Alternative forms

• sw

Noun

saw (Sawndip forms 𭨡 or 字 or 𰗂 or 𭓙 or 𰁈, 1957–1982 spelling səɯ)

1. written language; writing; script
2. (Chinese) character
3. word
4. book
5. teaching material
6. receipt; voucher

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Proto-Tai *saɰᴬ (“clear; clean”). Cognate with Thai ใส (sǎi), Northern Thai ᩈᩲ, Isan ใส, Lao ໃສ (sai), Lü ᦺᦉ (ṡay), Tai Dam ꪻꪎ, Shan သႂ် (sǎue), Tai Nüa ᥔᥬᥴ (sáue), Ahom 𑜏𑜧 (saw) or 𑜏𑜧𑜤 (sawu).

Adjective

saw (Sawndip forms 𰝓 or 𢙣 or 㳏, 1957–1982 spelling səɯ)

1. clean
2. (of transparent objects, water, etc.) clear
3. (of liquids other than water) watery; thin

Etymology 3

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “from 輸?”)

Verb

saw (Sawndip forms 𰷙 or 賒, 1957–1982 spelling səɯ)

1. to lose