Hawl

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. To pull or drag something along with great force ; a forceful tug or the quantity of fish or goods gathered in one go
2. Using strong effort to draw or drag an object ; a powerful pull or the total of what was caught or collected at once
3. To haul something heavy by pulling hard ; a vigorous tug or the load that has been hauled in a single effort

Etymology: "Hawl" is a Scots and northern English spelling of "haul," used for both the verb (to pull or drag something heavy) and the noun (a pull, or the load that is pulled or gathered). The spelling reflects how the vowel was pronounced in Scots, where it sounded like the "aw" in "law" rather than the "au" of standard English spelling. The root is likely the Old French verb "haler," meaning to pull or draw, which English adopted as "halen" in Middle English. Over time the standard spelling settled on "haul," while Scots kept a closer match to the pronunciation, giving "hawl."

Synonyms: haul, drag, pull

Antonyms: push