Billhook
/ˈbɪl.hʊk/noun
A cutting tool with a hooked blade, used for trimming hedges, vines, or brush.
Did you know?The first element, bill, is the same word behind a medieval weapon name, and it ultimately goes back to a Germanic root for a pointed edge or beak-like shape.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bilaz
“a cutting edge, sword, or sharp blade”
Old English
OE
bile
“beak, bill”
Middle English
ME
bill
“a hooked cutting tool; also a weapon with a hooked blade”
Middle English
ME
billhook
“a hooked blade for cutting or pruning”
Modern English
English
billhook
“a hooked agricultural cutting tool”