mawk

Meaning

Noun

• a maggot
• a slattern

Origin

• From Middle English mawke, moke, a contraction of mathek, maddok, from Old Norse maðkr ("maggot"), a diminutive of a base from Proto-Germanic *maþô ("worm") (compare Old English maþa), from Proto-Indo-European *mat-, *mot- used in reference to insects and vermin. Cognate with Danish madike, Swedish mask, archaic English maddock (modern maggot).