Etymology Dictionary

TAW, TEW,  to prepare skins, so as to dress them into leather, to curry, to toil.  (E.)   Spelt tawe and tewe; Levins.   M.E. tewen, to prepare leather, Prompt. Parv.; tawen, Ormulum, 15908.—A.S. tawian, to prepare, dress, get ready, also, to scourge.   'Seo deoful eów tawode,' = the devil scourged you; Ælfric's Hom. ii. 486, l. 4 from bottom.   'Tó yrmðe getawode' = reduced to poverty; S. Veronica, p. 34, l. 18.   Cf. getawe, implements, Grein, i. 462.   Here aw = Goth. au. + Du. touwen, to curry leather. + O.H.G. zawjan, zoujan, to make, prepare. + Goth. taujan, to do, cause, bring out.   β. From the ✔DU, to move about; see Tool.   Der. taw-yer, M.E. tawier, tawer, Wyclif, Deeds, ix. 43, early version, where the later version has curiour, i.e. currier; cf. bow-yer, law-yer.   And see tea-m, tee-m.