chisel
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
A wood chisel
Two cold chisel
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English chisel, chesel, from Old Northern French chisel, cisel, from cisoir (with a change in suffix), from Late Latin cīsōrium (“cutting tool”), from Latin caedere (“cut”).
Noun
chisel (plural chisels)
- A cutting tool used to remove parts of stone, wood or metal by pushing or pounding the back when the sharp edge is against the material. It consists of a slim, oblong block of metal with a sharp wedge or bevel formed on one end and sometimes a handle at the other end.
Derived terms
Translations
tool consisting of a slim oblong block of metal
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See also
Verb
chisel (third-person singular simple present chisels, present participle chiseling or chiselling, simple past and past participle chiseled or chiselled)
- (intransitive) To use a chisel.
- (transitive) To work something with a chisel.
- She chiselled a sculpture out of the block of wood.
- (transitive, dated) To barge in on (something); to intrude on (something).
- (transitive, intransitive, informal) To cheat; to obtain something from (someone) by cheating.
- (transitive, figurative) To make small changes to (something), resulting in change over time.
- Laws that protect the environment are being chiseled away.
- (transitive, dated) To beg or pressure somebody into giving up (something).
- He's managed to chisel a couple dollars from somewhere.
- She can always chisel whatever she needs from her father.
Usage notes
chiselling and chiselled are more common in the UK while chiseling and chiseled are more common in the US.
Derived terms
Translations
to use a chisel
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to work something with a chisel
to cheat — see cheat
Etymology 2
From Middle English chisel, chesil, from Old English ċeosol, ċeosel, ċysel, ċisel, ċisil (“gravel, sand”), from Proto-West Germanic *kesul (“small stone, pebble”). See also chessom.
Alternative forms
Noun
chisel (usually uncountable, plural chisels)
Related terms
- chessom
Further reading
- “chisel”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “chisel”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “chisel”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Anagrams
Alternative forms
- chesel, chiseel, chesell, chisal, chesal
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman chisel.
Pronunciation
Noun
chisel (plural chisels)
- Any of several cutting tools used by stone masons.
Descendants
References
- “chisē̆l, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Noun
chisel oblique singular, m (oblique plural chiseaus or chiseax or chisiaus or chisiax or chisels, nominative singular chiseaus or chiseax or chisiaus or chisiax or chisels, nominative plural chisel)
- (Old Northern French) Alternative form of cisel
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