| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| ax1 |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |   ks |
| VARIANT FORMS: | or axe |
| NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. ax·es ( k s z)
1. A tool with a bladed, usually heavy head mounted crosswise on a handle, used for felling trees or chopping wood. 2. Any of various bladed, hand-held implements used as a cutting tool or weapon. 3. Informal A sudden termination of employment: My colleague got the ax yesterday. 4. Slang A musical instrument, especially a guitar. | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | Inflected forms: axed, ax·ing, ax·es
1. To chop or fell with or as if with an ax: axed down the saplings; axed out a foothold in the ice. 2. Informal To remove ruthlessly or suddenly: a social program that was axed to effectuate budget cuts. | | IDIOM: | ax to grind A selfish or ulterior aim: He claimed to be disinterested, but I knew he had an ax to grind. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English, from Old English æx.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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