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thew - What does it mean?

Definition of 'thew'

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) . See (l), (l).

Noun

(en-noun)
  • (lb) A bondman; a slave.

    • Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • (lb) Bond; servile.

    • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) thewen, from (etyl) .

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • (obsolete) To oppress; enslave.

    • Etymology 3

    From (etyl) thew, theaw (often in plural thewes), from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • Muscle or sinew.
  • * 1927 , , Arrow, 2008, page 247
    • As a rule, the Purple Chicken catered for the intelligentsia of the neighbourhood, and these did not run to thews and sinews. On most nights in the week you would find the tables occupied by wispy poets and slender futurist painters...
  • * 1960 , , Low-Lands
    • Fortune’s elf child and disinherited darling, young and randy and more a Jolly Jack Tar than anyone human could conceivably be; thews and chin taut against a sixty-knot gale with a well-broken-in briar clenched in the bright defiant teeth
  • A good quality or habit; virtue.
  • An attractive physical attribute, especially muscle; mental or moral vigour.
    • Quotations
    * 1602 : , act 1 scene 3 lines 11-12-13-14 *: For nature crescent does not grow alone *: In thews and bulks, but as this temple waxes, *: The inward service of the mind and soul *: Grows wide withal.
    Derived terms
    * thewless * thewness * thews * thewy

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • Instruct in morals or values; chastise.
    • Derived terms
    * thewed

    Anagrams

    * ----

    Similar to 'thew'

    tow, thaw, tew, taw, tohew