maul — to handle or treat roughly; to attack and injure
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to handle or treat roughly; to attack and injure
Pronunciation (IPA): /mɔːl/
Example Sentences
- The movie critic was mauled by angry fans after giving their favorite film one star.
- The old lumberjack's maul had split more trees than he could count.
- After being mauled by his wife's cooking critique, he ordered pizza instead.
maul
VERB[/mɔːl/]
to handle or treat roughly; to attack and injure
to handle or treat roughly; to attack and injure
Seeking a brawl, he's mauled, now forced to crawl!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Medieval Latin malleus, meaning 'hammer,' which originally denoted a heavy tool or mallet. Over time, the term evolved to encompass the verb sense of handling or treating something roughly or violently, influenced by Middle French mail.
Breakdown
malleus (Latin: hammer) → mail (Middle French) → maul. The semantic shift occurred as the physical act of striking with a hammer extended to mean treating roughly or damaging.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The movie critic was mauled by angry fans after giving their favorite film one star.”
“The old lumberjack's maul had split more trees than he could count.”
“After being mauled by his wife's cooking critique, he ordered pizza instead.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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