sax

Meanings

Noun

• A slate-cutter's hammer; slate-ax.
• A knife or sword; a dagger about 50 cm (20 inches) in length.
• Short form of saxophone

Verb

• To cut or slash with a sharp instrument; incise; scarify.

Origin

• From Middle English sax, sex, from Old English seax, from Proto-Germanic *sahsą, from Proto-Indo-European *sek-. Cognate with North Frisian sax, Middle Dutch sas, Middle Low German sax, Middle High German sahs, Danish saks, Swedish sax, Icelandic sax, Latin secō. See also Saxon, saw.
• . Distantly related to etymology 1 above, because the “Sax” surname is a cognate.