Chisel
/ˈtʃɪz.əl/noun
A tool with a sharpened edge used for cutting or shaping hard material.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces back to Latin *cisellum*, a cutting tool, from *caedere* meaning “to cut” — the same ancient root behind words like *incision* and *decide*.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
cisellum
“a small cutting tool or chisel”
Late Latin
Latin
cisellāre
“to cut with a chisel”
Old French
OF
cisel
“a chisel; also to engrave or cut”
Middle English
English
chisel
“a cutting tool used by carpenters and masons”
Modern English
English
chisel
“a tool with a sharpened edge used for cutting or shaping hard material”