chisel

C1 Topic:Tools, Machines & Construction

US /ˈt͡ʃɪzəl/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like sizzle /tʃ/ vs /s/

Freq #20436

Meanings

1

noun
A hand tool with a sharp flat blade, used for cutting or shaping wood, stone, or metal.

He used a chisel to carve the wooden figure.
2

verb
To cut or shape something using a chisel.

She chiseled a sculpture out of the block of marble.
3

verb
To cheat someone, or to get something from them by dishonest means.

He tried to chisel a few extra dollars out of his roommate.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 verb · to cut or shape something... chip

3 verb · to cheat someone, or to get... cheat

Word family

Forms chiseledchiselingchisellingchisels

Derived forms chiselerchisellerchisellikechiselmouthenchiselrechisel

Related forms burinchessomgouge graver

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

wood chisel
a chisel designed for shaping or cutting wood

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Chisel, recorded from late Middle English, contains a form related to the Latin root caes-, from caedere, “to cut.” The same root appears in a variant form in the ancestry of scissors.

Etymology

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.

*kh₂eyd- Proto-Indo-European chisel Middle English cisel fro-nor cīsōrium la-lat caedō Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Tools, Machines & Construction

External links

# chisel

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈt͡ʃɪzəl/
**Frequency rank:** 20436

## Meanings
1. A hand tool with a sharp flat blade, used for cutting or shaping wood, stone, or metal.
2. To cut or shape something using a chisel.
3. To cheat someone, or to get something from them by dishonest means.

## Examples
- He used a chisel to carve the wooden figure.
- She chiseled a sculpture out of the block of marble.
- He tried to chisel a few extra dollars out of his roommate.

## Derived Forms
- chiseler
- chiseller
- chisellike
- chiselmouth
- enchisel
- rechisel

## Related Forms
- burin
- chessom
- gouge
- graver

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *kh₂eyd-
- Root: chisel
- Root: cisel
- Root: cīsōrium
- Root: caedō

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Chisel is 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. In present-day use, it can mean a hand tool with a sharp flat blade, used for cutting or shaping wood, stone, or metal, or to cut or shape something using a chisel. Derived formations include chiseler, chiseller, chisellike, chiselmouth, and enchisel.

## Topics
- Tools, Machines & Construction

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