maw

noun

1. (archaic, countable, uncountable)The stomach, especially of an animal.

   “So Death shall be deceav'd his glut, and with us two / Be forc'd to satisfie his Rav'nous Maw.”

2. (countable, uncountable)The upper digestive tract (where food enters the body), especially the mouth and jaws of a fearsome and ravenous creature; craw.

   “To save poor lambkins from the eagle's maw”

   ““I saw the opening maw of hell, With endless pains and sorrows there; Which none but they that feel can tell— Oh, I was plunging to despair.”

3. (countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable)The mouth.

   “Shut your maw!”

   “She fumbled with her bag, and produced from its little maw a scented handkerchief.”

4. (countable, uncountable)Any large, insatiable or perilous opening.

   “Adam requires a touch of feminine lace and a whisper of diaphanous silk, not a direct vision of the gaping maw of the human vulva.”

   “One two! I was born in a cross-fire hurricane. And I howled at the maw in the drivin' rain. But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas. But it's all right. I'm Jumpin' Jack Flash. It's a gas, gas, gas.”

5. (obsolete, uncountable)Appetite; inclination.

   “Unless you had more maw to do me good.”

6. (countable, uncountable)The swim bladder of a fish, especially when used as food in Chinese cuisine.

   “fish maw: The buoyancy bladder of a fish similar in appearance to the mammalian lung. The maw of the conger pike is used in Chinese cooking and is usually sold in dried form which needs reconstituting for about 3 hours and treating with[…]”

   “Fish maw is the commercial term for the dried swim bladders of large fish like sturgeon. Fish maw has no fishy taste and absorbs the flavors of other ingredients.”

   “Fish maw (swim bladder) is easily obtainable from your local fishmonger[.]”

   “[...] fish maw is light, white in color, and has a spongy texture. Dried fish maw is tasteless which makes it a good complementary addition to many dishes since it can absorb the flavors of other ingredients when it is cooked with other food[…]”

7. (colloquial, dialectal)Mother.
8. A gull.
9. (abbreviation, alt-of, derogatory, informal, initialism)Initialism of model, actress, whatever: a young woman without much talent who attains celebrity through physical attractiveness

   “Tamara was one of the original wild-child tribe - up to now, famous mainly for being famous. She has done a quantity of high-profile dabbling in modelling, acting, television and journalism (file under MAW - Model, Actress, Whatever - or WAIF - Why Am I Famous?)”

   “Next to them, you spot what can only be a director's assistant. He's dressed very casually, jeans and a black T-shirt and he uses his tenuous connection to true Hollywood power to flirt with the most attractive MAWs (Model-Actress-Whatever) […]”

   “Through his Hollywood connections he filled out the ranks of our parties with troops of assorted aspiring starlets, production assistants and thrillseeking party dolls—MAWs (“Model/Actress/Whatever”).”

name

1. A surname.