chisel

Meanings

Noun

• 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.
• Gravel.
• Coarse flour; bran; the coarser part of bran or flour.

Verb

• To use a chisel.
• To work something with a chisel.
• To cheat, to get something from (someone) by cheating.

Origin

• From Middle English chisel, chesel, borrowed from Old Northern French chisel, from Vulgar Latin *cisellum, from *caesellum, from Latin caesus, past participle of caedere.
• From Middle English chisel, chesil, from Old English ċeosol, ċeosel, ċysel, ċisel, ċisil, from Proto-West Germanic *kisil. See also chessom.