tool

150 pxSeveral tools in a toolbox

Meanings

Noun

  • A mechanical device intended to make a task easier.
  • Any piece of equipment used in a profession, e.g. a craftman's tools.
  • Something to perform an operation; an instrument; a means.
  • A piece of software used to develop software or hardware, or to perform low-level operations.
  • A person or group which is used or controlled, usually unwittingly, by another person or group.
  • A penis, notably with a sexual or erotic connotation.
  • An obnoxious or uptight person.

Verb

Related

Similar words

Origin

  • From Middle English tool, tol, from Old English tōl, from Proto-Germanic *tōlą, from Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂-, equivalent to taw + -le . Cognate with Scots tuil ("tool, implement, instrument, device"), Icelandic tól ("tool"), Faroese tól ("tool, instrument"). Related to Old English tāwian ("to make, prepare, or cultivate"); see taw, and tow ("fibres used for spinning").

Modern English dictionary

Explore and search massive catalog of over 900,000 word meanings.

Word of the Day

Get a curated memorable word every day.

Challenge yourself

Level up your vocabulary by setting personal goals.

And much more

Try out Vedaist now.