Where does “maw” come from?

maw (Middle English) comes from Old English maga, from Old English maġan, from Proto-West Germanic magan, from Proto-Germanic maganą, from Proto-Indo-European (me)mógʰe, from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- — to be able.

maw (Middle English): Alternative form of mawe

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of mawe

Ancestry of “maw”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishmagacapable; stomach; maw
2Old Englishmaġancan, to be able
3Proto-West Germanicmaganto be able, may
4Proto-Germanicmaganąto be able, may
5Proto-Indo-European(me)mógʰeto have power, to be able to
6Proto-Indo-Europeanmegʰ-to be able
Every word from Proto-Indo-European megʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European (me)mógʰe →Every word from Proto-Germanic maganą →
maw — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer