chisel

CEFRC1

/ˈt͡ʃɪzəl/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sharp tool used for cutting or shaping wood or stone.

  2. 02

    verb

    To cut or shape a material with a chisel.

Examples

  • A splitter is used for thick wood; a pin chisel is used for concrete.

  • I've never used a chisel before. Could you show me how?

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Synonyms
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A part of any of various tools or devices that has an analogous purpose, cutting raw material or a workpiece during the process that the tool or device performs.

  2. 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; there are hand tool versions (the original type) and versions as bits for power tools.

  3. A part of some ploughs, next to the ploughshare, that helps cut into the soil and deal with obstructions such as rocks, roots, and stems.

More examples

In context

  • When the concrete is hard, we use an electric drill instead of a pin chisel.

  • Laws that protect the environment are being chiseled away.

  • She chiselled a sculpture out of the block of wood.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The sculptor used a sharp blank to carve the marble block.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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 caedō (“cut”). Doublet of scissors.