chaw

noun

1. (countable)That which is chewed.
2. (Appalachia, informal, uncountable)Chewing tobacco.

   “When the doctor told him to quit smoking, Harvey switched to chaw, but then developed cancer of the mouth.”

   “"YOU give him a chaw, did you? So did your sister's cat's grandmother. You pay me back the chaws you've awready borry'd off'n me, Lafe Buckner, then I'll loan you one or two ton of it, and won't charge you no back intrust, nuther."”

   “He […] went into the store and behind the counter and reached up and got the plug of chewing tobacco and unwrapped it and bit off a chaw.”

   “Henry paused to see what kind of effect his words were having, but Red’s face was expressionless; all Henry could see was his jaw tensing rhythmically as he worked on his chaw.”

3. (obsolete)The jaw.

   “all the poison ran about his chaw”

4. (alt-of, obsolete, uncountable)Obsolete form of cha (“tea”).

verb

1. (Southern-US)To chew; grind with one's teeth; to masticate (food, or the cud).

   “The trampling steede, with gold and purple trapt,”

   “And next to him malicious Envy rode, Upon a ravenous wolfe, and still did chaw Betweene his cankred teeth a venemous tode […]”

   “The Man who laugh'd but once, to see an Ass Mumbling to make the cross-grained Thistles pass, Might laugh again, to see a Jury chaw The prickles of unpalatable Law.”

   “[…] the king he set down and twisted his head to one side, and chawed his tongue, and scrawled off something […]”

   “Anne passed the lily. Beyond was the bed of pinks—white, clove, cinnamon. […] Anne's scissors chawed the wiry stems almost as sapless as the everlastings.”

2. (obsolete, transitive)To ruminate (about) in thought; to ponder; to consider.

   “"I home retourning, fraught with fowle despight, And chawing vengeaunce all the way I went, Soone as my loathed love appeard in sight, With wrathfull hand I slew her innocent;”

3. (UK, slang)To steal.

   “Some pikey's chawed my bike.”

4. (dialectal, intransitive)To be sulky.