gnaw

gnaw
gnawable, adj.gnawer, n.
/naw/, v., gnawed, gnawed or gnawn, gnawing.
v.t.
1. to bite or chew on, esp. persistently.
2. to wear away or remove by persistent biting or nibbling.
3. to form or make by so doing: to gnaw a hole through the wall.
4. to waste or wear away; corrode; erode.
5. to trouble or torment by constant annoyance, worry, etc.; vex; plague.
v.i.
6. to bite or chew persistently: The spaniel gnawed happily on a bone.
7. to cause corrosion: The acid gnaws at the metal.
8. to cause an effect resembling corrosion: Her mistake gnawed at her conscience.
[bef. 1000; ME gnawen, OE gnagen; c. G nagen, ON gnaga]

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  • gnaw´er — gnaw «n», verb, gnawed, gnawed or gnawn, gnaw|ing. –v.t. 1. to bite at and wear away: »A mouse has gnawed the cover of this box. 2. to make by biting: »A rat can gnaw a hole through wood …   Useful english dictionary

  • gnaw — [no: US no:] v [I,T always + adverb/preposition] [: Old English; Origin: gnagan] to keep biting something hard = ↑chew ▪ Dexter gnawed his pen thoughtfully. ▪ A rat had gnawed a hole in the box. gnaw at/on ▪ The puppy was gnawing on a bone. gnaw… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • gnaw — [ nɔ ] verb intransitive or transitive to keep biting something: David gnawed his lip, obviously worried. A rat had gnawed through the cable. gnaw ,at or ,gnaw a way at phrasal verb transitive gnaw (away) at someone if something gnaws at you, you …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Gnaw — Gnaw, v. i. To use the teeth in biting; to bite with repeated effort, as in eating or removing with the teeth something hard, unwieldy, or unmanageable. [1913 Webster] I might well, like the spaniel, gnaw upon the chain that ties me. Sir P.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Gnaw — (n[add]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Gnawed} (n[add]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Gnawing}.] [OE. gnawen, AS. gnagan; akin to D. knagen, OHG. gnagan, nagan, G. nagen, Icel. & Sw. gnaga, Dan. gnave, nage. Cf. {Nag} to tease.] 1. To bite, as something hard or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • gnaw — O.E. gnagan (pt. *gnog, pp. gnagan) to gnaw, a common Germanic word (Cf. O.S. gnagan, O.N., Swed. gnaga, M.Du., Du. knagen, O.H.G. gnagan, Ger. nagen to gnaw ), probably imitative of gnawing. Related: Gnawed; gnawing …   Etymology dictionary

  • gnaw — [nô] vt. gnawed, gnawed or Rare gnawn, gnawing [ME gnawen < OE gnagen, akin to Ger nagen (OHG gnagan) < IE * ghnēgh < base * ghen , to gnaw away, rub away > GNASH, GNAT] 1. to cut, bite, and wear away bit by bit with the teeth 2. to… …   English World dictionary

  • gnaw — [v1] bite, chew champ, chaw, chomp, consume, corrode, crunch, devour, eat, eat away, erode, gum, masticate, munch, nibble, wear; concepts 169,185 gnaw [v2] be bothered, worried about annoy, bedevil, beleague, distress, eat at*, fret, harass,… …   New thesaurus

  • gnaw — index obsess, pique Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • gnaw — vb *bite, champ, gnash Analogous words: fret, *abrade: *worry, annoy …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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