gnawv.

Brit.

/nɔː/, U.S.

/nɔ/,

/nɑ/

Forms: Past tense gnawed. Past participle gnawed, gnawn. Forms: Old English gnagan, (Middle English gneȝeð, 3rd singular Middle English–1500s gnawe, (Middle English gnaȝ-, gnaghe, Middle English gnawyn, 1500s Scottish gnau), Middle English, 1600s– gnaw; also Middle English knawyn, knav-, gnau-, 1500s knaw-, knawe, 1600s–1700s knaw. strong past tense Middle English gneu, Middle English gnow(e, (Middle English gnogh, gnowȝe, gnouȝ), Middle English–1700s gnew, (Middle English–1500s gnewe); (weak Middle English gnawid-, Middle English knawed, 1700s knaw'd, 1700s– gnawed. past participle (strong Middle English ignahen, Middle English, 1500s gnawen, Middle English gnawe, 1500s knaw(e)n, Scottish gnawin, ( gnaw), 1500s–1600s gnawne, 1600s– gnawn; (weak 1600s knaw'd, 1600s– gnawed.

Etymology: Old English gnagan , past tense *gnóg , gnógon (in forgnógon , see forgnaw v.), past participle gnagen (in forgnagen); corresponding to Old High German gnagan, nagen (Middle High German and modern German nagen), Old Norse gnaga (Swedish gnaga, Danish gnave, also nage from Low German; modern Icelandic naga). Forms with initial k instead of g appear in Old High German chnagen, Middle Dutch cnaghen, modern Dutch (and German dialect) knagen. In English the spelling knaw is found occasionally in 15th cent., and is quite common during 16–17th cent.; but this only implies that kn- and gn- were already identical in sound. In the romance of Sir Amadas 247 a form gnave is found rhyming with grave, have, but this may be a case of assonance; compare, however, the modern wave from Middle English wawe.

a. transitive. To bite (something) persistently so as to injure it or remove portions of it; to wear away by a continued biting or nibbling.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > cause bad condition in [verb (transitive)] > eat away

begnawa1000

gnawa1000

freta1200

corrode1555

eat1555

befreta1592

the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (transitive)] > nibble or gnaw

gnawa1000

bitec1250

nibblea1500

knabble1580

knepa1642

knuba1652

nab1653

chumble1821

natter1862

a1000 Be Domes Dæge (Lumby) 211 Hy wæl-grimme wyrmas slitað and heora ban gnagað brynigum tuxlum.

c1000 Ælfric Gram. (Z.) 171/1 Rodo, ic gnage.

1023 in Thorpe Dipl. Angl. Aevi Sax. (1865) 318/29 Ðæt gewrit beo geworpen musen to gnagene.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 43 Summe þer graninde sikeð, summe þer reowliche gneȝeð his aȝene tunge.

c1290 S.E. Leg. I. 206/230 Some [of the adders] heo gnowen, and some heo stounge; and some with scharpe tieth heom bite.

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 8632 To þe rode he sturte, & bigan to frete & gnawe Þe armes vaste & þies, & mid is teþ to drawe.

c1350 Parl. Three Ages 50 Gnattes gretely me greuede and gnewen myn eghne.

c1440 Gesta Romanorum (Add. MS.) xxxii. 124 The maiden..gnewe [Harl. MS. bote] the Girdell with her tethe, and brake it on iii. peces.

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope i. xviii The ratte beganne thenne to byte the lace or cord, and so long he knawed it that the lace brake.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Rev. xvi. 10 They gnewe [so 1535 Coverdale; 1611 gnawed] their tonges for sorowe.

1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde iii. vi. f. 122^v Howe these woormes knawe and corrode the shyppes, wee haue declared before.

1628 World Encompassed by Sir F. Drake 24 The remnants of Seales..which they had gnawne with their teeth like dogs.

1739 ‘R. Bull’ tr. F. Dedekind Grobianus 33 Press'd with both Hands by wholesale Knaw your Meat.

1743 A. Pope Dunciad (rev. ed.) i. 117 [He] gnaw'd his pen, then dash'd it on the ground, Sinking from thought to thought.

1768 A. Ross Fortunate Shepherdess 43 At last in twa the dowie raips he gnew.

1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xix. 264 I could scarcely find any but what had been gnawn by insects.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xii. 233 The stock of salted hides was considerable, and by gnawing them the garrison appeased the rage of hunger.

1881 R. Jefferies Wood Magic I. ii. 35 In the night she meant to have gnawn your throat.

b. With adverb or other complement, expressing the result of the action, as to gnaw away, to gnaw off, to gnaw out, to gnaw up; to gnaw asunder, to gnaw in two.

ΚΠ

1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 863 Wormes þan sal it al to-gnaw Til þe flesshe be gnawen oway and byten.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6043 Þat beist þan gneu [Fairf. gnow, Trin. Cambr. gnowȝe] vp al bidene þat þe thoner left.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Baruch vi. C The serpentes and wormes..gnawe out their hertes.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) v. i. 250.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) v. i. 290 He..gnaw'd in two my cords.

1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote iii. I. xii. 243 After he had gnawn off almost the Half of one of his Nails.

1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes iii. §52. 282 A lion may stand in need of the helpe of a mouse to gnaw asunder the cord wherewith he is hampered.

a1839 W. M. Praed Poems (1864) I. 204 He hath gnawed in twain my choicest line.

1873 R. Browning Red Cotton Night-cap Country ii. 69 Some work of art gnawn hollow by Time's tooth.

c. absol. or intransitive, often with prepositions at, †on, upon.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (intransitive)] > nibble or gnaw

gnawa1382

bitec1386

knabble1580

nibble1582

nib1585

knapple1611

nab1630

moup1710

chumble1821

naggle1824

peck1824

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Job xxx. 3 That gnowen [a1425 L.V. gnawiden; L. rodebant] in wildernesse, waxende foul with wreechidnesse and sorewe.

a1400 Coer de L. 5074 Many of the hethene houndes With her teeth gnow on the groundes.

c1440 Gesta Romanorum (Harl.) xxx. 110 Twoo bestes..gnowe at the Rote of the tree with alle theire myght.

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope ii. xviii He that is wonte and acustomed to robbe and gnawe, with grete payne he may absteyne him self fro hit.

a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 54/1 He returned..frowning and froting and knawing on hys lippes.

1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III i. iv. 25 I sawe..Ten thousand men, that fishes gnawed vpon.

1647 A. Cowley Dialogue in Mistress vii That Worm which now the Core does wast, When long 't has gnaw'd within will break the skin at last.

1648 W. Jenkyn Ὁδηγος Τυϕλος i. 8 As an hungry dog that teareth and gnaweth upon a dry bone, and can suck nothing out of it..by long gnawing upon it.

1843 G. Borrow Bible in Spain III. xix. 367 Gaunt dogs were busy here, growling, tearing, and gnawing.

1877 F. W. Farrar In Days of Youth (ed. 4) xv. 145 The worm of sin gnaws deepest into the idle heart.

2. Of destructive agents: To corrode, waste away, consume. (Cf. fret v.¹ 3.) Said also of internal pains.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > cause bad condition in [verb (transitive)] > corrode or erode

forfret?c1225

fret?c1225

gnaw1530

to eat awaya1538

eat1555

arrode1575

corrode1594

out-eatc1595

eat1609

erode1612

to eat out1616

bite1623

etch1664

exede1669

cancer1824

to eat in-

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 569/1 I gnawe, as wynde or the colyke gnaweth one in the belly, je trenchaysonne.

1561 J. Hollybush tr. H. Brunschwig Most Excellent Homish Apothecarye f. 31^v For them whose guttes are gnawen or wounded..caused by a salte Flegma.

1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. D6^v Pine-Nuts..much eaten, gnaw the stomach and belly.

1611 T. Coryate Crudities sig. G6^v In certaine places it [sc. the Rhone] doth continually gnawe and eate his bankes.

1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island i. xv. 5 But last when eating time shal gnaw the proudest towers.

1655 N. Culpeper et al. tr. L. Rivière Pract. Physick iii. i. 97 And for the breaking or corroding of the Tympane,..if there were formerly any vehement Causes that could break or gnaw the same [etc.].

a. figurative. Said esp. of passion, remorse, etc. (cf. fret v.¹ 3b). †Also, to carp at.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > cause of mental pain or suffering > cause mental pain or suffering to [verb (transitive)]

heavyc897

pineeOE

aileOE

sorryeOE

traya1000

sorrowOE

to work (also do) (a person) woeOE

angerc1175

smarta1200

to work, bake, brew balec1200

derve?c1225

grieve?c1225

sitc1225

sweam?c1225

gnawc1230

sughc1230

troublec1230

aggrievea1325

to think sweama1325

unframea1325

anguish1340

teen1340

sowa1352

distrainc1374

to-troublea1382

strain1382

unglad1390

afflicta1393

paina1393

distressa1400

hita1400

sorea1400

assayc1400

remordc1400

temptc1400

to sit (or set) one sorec1420

overthrow?a1425

visit1424

labour1437

passionc1470

arraya1500

constraina1500

misgrievea1500

attempt1525

exagitate1532

to wring to the worse1542

toil1549

lament1580

adolorate1598

rankle1659

try1702

to pass over ——1790

upset1805

to touch (also get, catch, etc.) (a person) on the raw1823

to put (a person) through it1855

bludgeon1888

to get to ——1904

to put through the hoop(s)1919

the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > cause of mental anguish or torment > cause anguish to or torment [verb (transitive)]

quelmeOE

eatc1000

martyrOE

fretc1175

woundc1175

to-fret?c1225

gnawc1230

to-traya1250

torment1297

renda1333

anguish1340

grindc1350

wringc1374

debreakc1384

ofpinec1390

rivea1400

urn1488

reboil1528

whip1530

cruciate1532

pinch1548

spur-galla1555

agonize1570

rack1576

cut1582

excruciate1590

scorchc1595

discruciate1596

butcher1597

split1597

torture1598

lacerate1600

harrow1603

hell1614

to eat upa1616

arrow1628

martyrize1652

percruciate1656

tear1666

crucify1702

flay1782

wrench1798

kill1800

to cut up1843

c1230 Hali Meid. 29 Al þe este & al þe eise is her as þe oðre beoð godlese & ignahene.

a1340 R. Rolle Psalter cxviii. 40 Enuy, that supposis reprofe in men when it may noght gnaghe þe life.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. MMiiii So done these irefull thoughtes, frette and gnawe the mynde of man or woman.

c1680 W. Beveridge Serm. (1729) I. 353 Their consciences are always gnaw'd and tormented.

1749 T. Smollett Regicide ii. vii. 24 Thy Fears that I may 'scape, Like Vultures gnaw thee!

1801 R. Southey Thalaba II. x. 247 The years that it has gnawn me! and the load Of sin that it has laid upon my soul!

1832 E. Bulwer-Lytton Eugene Aram I. i. ix. 143 Silently,..he had gnawed his heart.

1860 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters V. 351 As the flower is gnawed by frost, so every human heart is gnawed by faithlessness.

b. absol. and intransitive; esp. with prepositions to gnaw at ( †to gnaw on), to gnaw into (cf. 1c); also in indirect passive.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > cause of mental pain or suffering > be painful or distressing to a person [verb (intransitive)]

to claw, rub, hit on the gallc1386

smarta1400

rankle1735

to play hell (with)1750

gnaw1859

a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. ii. 283 My Coffers ransack'd, my reputation gnawne at.

1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan i. xii. 52 So that man..hath his heart all the day long, gnawed on by feare of death.

1727 D. Defoe Syst. Magick i. i. 31 The eager Desire after the Knowledge of them gnaw'd into his very Vitals.

1845 S. Austin tr. L. von Ranke Hist. Reformation in Germany (ed. 2) I. 237 The rage which had long gnawed at his heart might burst forth.

1850 N. Hawthorne Scarlet Let. xvii. 241 Torments that have so gnawed into thy life!

1859 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 19 Apr. in French & Ital. Notebks. (1980) vi. 519 Something gnawed within him, and kept him forever restless and miserable.

1880 G. Meredith Tragic Comedians II. x. 173 The terrible mournfulness..of the truth gnawed within her.

Compounds

† gnaw-bone n. Obsolete

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > poverty > [noun] > poor person > very poor person

armeOE

goodlessa1350

pauper1516

bankrupt?1563

gnaw-bone1607

gnaw-crust1611

have-nothing1755

bone-grubber1817

bone-picker1825

lack-all1850

destitute1863

stiff1899

down and out1901

down-and-outer1906

1607 T. Tomkis Lingua v. ii Begon ye gnawe-bone, raw-bone, rascal.

† gnaw-crust n. Obsolete terms of derision for one abjectly poor.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > poverty > [noun] > poor person > very poor person

armeOE

goodlessa1350

pauper1516

bankrupt?1563

gnaw-bone1607

gnaw-crust1611

have-nothing1755

bone-grubber1817

bone-picker1825

lack-all1850

destitute1863

stiff1899

down and out1901

down-and-outer1906

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Masche-crouste, a gnaw-crust, hungrie companion, snatch-crust.

Derivatives

gnawed adj. ; spec. in Botany (see quot. 1832).

ΚΠ

1820 London Mag. June 631/2 Fragments of gnawed ginger~bread.

1832 J. Lindley Introd. Bot. 387 Gnawed (erosus) having the margin irregularly toothed, as if bitten by some animal.

1888 Daily News 30 Nov. 3/1 His [the squirrel's] traces lie about in plenty on the ground in the shape of gnawed fir-cones.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	gnaw
释义	† gnawn. Etymology: < gnaw v. Obsolete. rare. = gnawing n. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > [noun] > loss of material > eating away gnawing1340 fretting1382 gnaw1735 fret1830 1735 Boyse Written in Pal. Falkland 44 Nine days I struggled—think the cruel strife! The gnaw of anguish, and the waste of life! This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online June 2021). gnawv. Brit. /nɔː/, U.S. /nɔ/, /nɑ/ Forms: Past tense gnawed. Past participle gnawed, gnawn. Forms: Old English gnagan, (Middle English gneȝeð, 3rd singular Middle English–1500s gnawe, (Middle English gnaȝ-, gnaghe, Middle English gnawyn, 1500s Scottish gnau), Middle English, 1600s– gnaw; also Middle English knawyn, knav-, gnau-, 1500s knaw-, knawe, 1600s–1700s knaw. strong past tense Middle English gneu, Middle English gnow(e, (Middle English gnogh, gnowȝe, gnouȝ), Middle English–1700s gnew, (Middle English–1500s gnewe); (weak Middle English gnawid-, Middle English knawed, 1700s knaw'd, 1700s– gnawed. past participle (strong Middle English ignahen, Middle English, 1500s gnawen, Middle English gnawe, 1500s knaw(e)n, Scottish gnawin, ( gnaw), 1500s–1600s gnawne, 1600s– gnawn; (weak 1600s knaw'd, 1600s– gnawed. Etymology: Old English gnagan , past tense gnóg , gnógon* (in forgnógon , see forgnaw v.), past participle gnagen (in forgnagen); corresponding to Old High German gnagan, nagen (Middle High German and modern German nagen), Old Norse gnaga (Swedish gnaga, Danish gnave, also nage from Low German; modern Icelandic naga). Forms with initial k instead of g appear in Old High German chnagen, Middle Dutch cnaghen, modern Dutch (and German dialect) knagen. In English the spelling knaw is found occasionally in 15th cent., and is quite common during 16–17th cent.; but this only implies that kn- and gn- were already identical in sound. In the romance of Sir Amadas 247 a form gnave is found rhyming with grave, have, but this may be a case of assonance; compare, however, the modern wave from Middle English wawe. 1. a. transitive. To bite (something) persistently so as to injure it or remove portions of it; to wear away by a continued biting or nibbling. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > cause bad condition in [verb (transitive)] > eat away begnawa1000 gnawa1000 freta1200 corrode1555 eat1555 befreta1592 the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (transitive)] > nibble or gnaw gnawa1000 bitec1250 nibblea1500 knabble1580 knepa1642 knuba1652 nab1653 chumble1821 natter1862 a1000 Be Domes Dæge (Lumby) 211 Hy wæl-grimme wyrmas slitað and heora ban gnagað brynigum tuxlum. c1000 Ælfric Gram. (Z.) 171/1 Rodo, ic gnage. 1023 in Thorpe Dipl. Angl. Aevi Sax. (1865) 318/29 Ðæt gewrit beo geworpen musen to gnagene. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 43 Summe þer graninde sikeð, summe þer reowliche gneȝeð his aȝene tunge. c1290 S.E. Leg. I. 206/230 Some [of the adders] heo gnowen, and some heo stounge; and some with scharpe tieth heom bite. 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 8632 To þe rode he sturte, & bigan to frete & gnawe Þe armes vaste & þies, & mid is teþ to drawe. c1350 Parl. Three Ages 50 Gnattes gretely me greuede and gnewen myn eghne. c1440 Gesta Romanorum (Add. MS.) xxxii. 124 The maiden..gnewe [Harl. MS. bote] the Girdell with her tethe, and brake it on iii. peces. 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope i. xviii The ratte beganne thenne to byte the lace or cord, and so long he knawed it that the lace brake. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Rev. xvi. 10 They gnewe [so 1535 Coverdale; 1611 gnawed] their tonges for sorowe. 1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde iii. vi. f. 122^v Howe these woormes knawe and corrode the shyppes, wee haue declared before. 1628 World Encompassed by Sir F. Drake 24 The remnants of Seales..which they had gnawne with their teeth like dogs. 1739 ‘R. Bull’ tr. F. Dedekind Grobianus 33 Press'd with both Hands by wholesale Knaw your Meat. 1743 A. Pope Dunciad (rev. ed.) i. 117 [He] gnaw'd his pen, then dash'd it on the ground, Sinking from thought to thought. 1768 A. Ross Fortunate Shepherdess 43 At last in twa the dowie raips he gnew. 1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xix. 264 I could scarcely find any but what had been gnawn by insects. 1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xii. 233 The stock of salted hides was considerable, and by gnawing them the garrison appeased the rage of hunger. 1881 R. Jefferies Wood Magic I. ii. 35 In the night she meant to have gnawn your throat. b. With adverb or other complement, expressing the result of the action, as to gnaw away, to gnaw off, to gnaw out, to gnaw up; to gnaw asunder, to gnaw in two. ΚΠ 1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 863 Wormes þan sal it al to-gnaw Til þe flesshe be gnawen oway and byten. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6043 Þat beist þan gneu [Fairf. gnow, Trin. Cambr. gnowȝe] vp al bidene þat þe thoner left. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Baruch vi. C The serpentes and wormes..gnawe out their hertes. a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) v. i. 250. a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) v. i. 290 He..gnaw'd in two my cords. View more context for this quotation 1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote iii. I. xii. 243 After he had gnawn off almost the Half of one of his Nails. 1631 W. Gouge Gods Three Arrowes iii. §52. 282 A lion may stand in need of the helpe of a mouse to gnaw asunder the cord wherewith he is hampered. a1839 W. M. Praed Poems (1864) I. 204 He hath gnawed in twain my choicest line. 1873 R. Browning Red Cotton Night-cap Country ii. 69 Some work of art gnawn hollow by Time's tooth. c. absol. or intransitive, often with prepositions at, †on, upon. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (intransitive)] > nibble or gnaw gnawa1382 bitec1386 knabble1580 nibble1582 nib1585 knapple1611 nab1630 moup1710 chumble1821 naggle1824 peck1824 a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Job xxx. 3 That gnowen [a1425 L.V. gnawiden; L. rodebant] in wildernesse, waxende foul with wreechidnesse and sorewe. a1400 Coer de L. 5074 Many of the hethene houndes With her teeth gnow on the groundes. c1440 Gesta Romanorum (Harl.) xxx. 110 Twoo bestes..gnowe at the Rote of the tree with alle theire myght. 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope ii. xviii He that is wonte and acustomed to robbe and gnawe, with grete payne he may absteyne him self fro hit. a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 54/1 He returned..frowning and froting and knawing on hys lippes. 1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III i. iv. 25 I sawe..Ten thousand men, that fishes gnawed vpon. View more context for this quotation 1647 A. Cowley Dialogue in Mistress vii That Worm which now the Core does wast, When long 't has gnaw'd within will break the skin at last. 1648 W. Jenkyn Ὁδηγος Τυϕλος i. 8 As an hungry dog that teareth and gnaweth upon a dry bone, and can suck nothing out of it..by long gnawing upon it. 1843 G. Borrow Bible in Spain III. xix. 367 Gaunt dogs were busy here, growling, tearing, and gnawing. 1877 F. W. Farrar In Days of Youth (ed. 4) xv. 145 The worm of sin gnaws deepest into the idle heart. 2. Of destructive agents: To corrode, waste away, consume. (Cf. fret v.¹ 3.) Said also of internal pains. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > cause bad condition in [verb (transitive)] > corrode or erode forfret?c1225 fret?c1225 gnaw1530 to eat awaya1538 eat1555 arrode1575 corrode1594 out-eatc1595 eat1609 erode1612 to eat out1616 bite1623 etch1664 exede1669 cancer1824 to eat in- 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 569/1 I gnawe, as wynde or the colyke gnaweth one in the belly, je trenchaysonne. 1561 J. Hollybush tr. H. Brunschwig Most Excellent Homish Apothecarye f. 31^v For them whose guttes are gnawen or wounded..caused by a salte Flegma. 1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. D6^v Pine-Nuts..much eaten, gnaw the stomach and belly. 1611 T. Coryate Crudities sig. G6^v In certaine places it [sc. the Rhone] doth continually gnawe and eate his bankes. 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Island i. xv. 5 But last when eating time shal gnaw the proudest towers. 1655 N. Culpeper et al. tr. L. Rivière Pract. Physick iii. i. 97 And for the breaking or corroding of the Tympane,..if there were formerly any vehement Causes that could break or gnaw the same [etc.]. 3. a. figurative. Said esp. of passion, remorse, etc. (cf. fret v.¹ 3b). †Also, to carp at. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > cause of mental pain or suffering > cause mental pain or suffering to [verb (transitive)] heavyc897 pineeOE aileOE sorryeOE traya1000 sorrowOE to work (also do) (a person) woeOE angerc1175 smarta1200 to work, bake, brew balec1200 derve?c1225 grieve?c1225 sitc1225 sweam?c1225 gnawc1230 sughc1230 troublec1230 aggrievea1325 to think sweama1325 unframea1325 anguish1340 teen1340 sowa1352 distrainc1374 to-troublea1382 strain1382 unglad1390 afflicta1393 paina1393 distressa1400 hita1400 sorea1400 assayc1400 remordc1400 temptc1400 to sit (or set) one sorec1420 overthrow?a1425 visit1424 labour1437 passionc1470 arraya1500 constraina1500 misgrievea1500 attempt1525 exagitate1532 to wring to the worse1542 toil1549 lament1580 adolorate1598 rankle1659 try1702 to pass over ——1790 upset1805 to touch (also get, catch, etc.) (a person) on the raw1823 to put (a person) through it1855 bludgeon1888 to get to ——1904 to put through the hoop(s)1919 the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > cause of mental anguish or torment > cause anguish to or torment [verb (transitive)] quelmeOE eatc1000 martyrOE fretc1175 woundc1175 to-fret?c1225 gnawc1230 to-traya1250 torment1297 renda1333 anguish1340 grindc1350 wringc1374 debreakc1384 ofpinec1390 rivea1400 urn1488 reboil1528 whip1530 cruciate1532 pinch1548 spur-galla1555 agonize1570 rack1576 cut1582 excruciate1590 scorchc1595 discruciate1596 butcher1597 split1597 torture1598 lacerate1600 harrow1603 hell1614 to eat upa1616 arrow1628 martyrize1652 percruciate1656 tear1666 crucify1702 flay1782 wrench1798 kill1800 to cut up1843 c1230 Hali Meid. 29 Al þe este & al þe eise is her as þe oðre beoð godlese & ignahene. a1340 R. Rolle Psalter cxviii. 40 Enuy, that supposis reprofe in men when it may noght gnaghe þe life. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. MMiiii So done these irefull thoughtes, frette and gnawe the mynde of man or woman. c1680 W. Beveridge Serm. (1729) I. 353 Their consciences are always gnaw'd and tormented. 1749 T. Smollett Regicide ii. vii. 24 Thy Fears that I may 'scape, Like Vultures gnaw thee! 1801 R. Southey Thalaba II. x. 247 The years that it has gnawn me! and the load Of sin that it has laid upon my soul! 1832 E. Bulwer-Lytton Eugene Aram I. i. ix. 143 Silently,..he had gnawed his heart. 1860 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters V. 351 As the flower is gnawed by frost, so every human heart is gnawed by faithlessness. b. absol. and intransitive; esp. with prepositions to gnaw at ( †to gnaw on), to gnaw into (cf. 1c); also in indirect passive. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > cause of mental pain or suffering > be painful or distressing to a person [verb (intransitive)] to claw, rub, hit on the gallc1386 smarta1400 rankle1735 to play hell (with)1750 gnaw1859 a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. ii. 283 My Coffers ransack'd, my reputation gnawne at. View more context for this quotation 1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan i. xii. 52 So that man..hath his heart all the day long, gnawed on by feare of death. 1727 D. Defoe Syst. Magick i. i. 31 The eager Desire after the Knowledge of them gnaw'd into his very Vitals. 1845 S. Austin tr. L. von Ranke Hist. Reformation in Germany (ed. 2) I. 237 The rage which had long gnawed at his heart might burst forth. 1850 N. Hawthorne Scarlet Let. xvii. 241 Torments that have so gnawed into thy life! 1859 N. Hawthorne Jrnl. 19 Apr. in French & Ital. Notebks. (1980) vi. 519 Something gnawed within him, and kept him forever restless and miserable. 1880 G. Meredith Tragic Comedians II. x. 173 The terrible mournfulness..of the truth gnawed within her. Compounds † gnaw-bone n. Obsolete ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > poverty > [noun] > poor person > very poor person armeOE goodlessa1350 pauper1516 bankrupt?1563 gnaw-bone1607 gnaw-crust1611 have-nothing1755 bone-grubber1817 bone-picker1825 lack-all1850 destitute1863 stiff1899 down and out1901 down-and-outer1906 1607 T. Tomkis Lingua v. ii Begon ye gnawe-bone, raw-bone, rascal. † gnaw-crust n. Obsolete terms of derision for one abjectly poor. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > poverty > [noun] > poor person > very poor person armeOE goodlessa1350 pauper1516 bankrupt?1563 gnaw-bone1607 gnaw-crust1611 have-nothing1755 bone-grubber1817 bone-picker1825 lack-all1850 destitute1863 stiff1899 down and out1901 down-and-outer1906 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Masche-crouste, a gnaw-crust, hungrie companion, snatch-crust. Derivatives gnawed adj. ; spec. in Botany (see quot. 1832). ΚΠ 1820 London Mag. June 631/2 Fragments of gnawed ginger~bread. 1832 J. Lindley Introd. Bot. 387 Gnawed (erosus) having the margin irregularly toothed, as if bitten by some animal. 1888 Daily News 30 Nov. 3/1 His [the squirrel's] traces lie about in plenty on the ground in the shape of gnawed fir-cones. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < n.1735v.a1000
随便看	nonsequentially nonserious nonseriously nonsexist nonsexual nonsexually nonsharp nonsherry nonshrink nonshrinkable nonsicut nonsignificance nonsignificancy nonsignificant nonsignificantly nonsignificative nonsimultaneity nonsimultaneous nonsincere nonsinger nonsingular nonskid nonskidder nonskiddest nonskidding

† gnawn.

gnawv.

Compounds

Derivatives