Hacksaw
/ˈhæk.sɔː/noun
A saw with a narrow blade, used for cutting metal or hard materials.
Did you know?The name is straightforwardly descriptive: it combines the old verb *hack* with *saw*, and *hack* itself once carried senses of chopping, cutting, and rough striking long before it became slang for a computer break-in.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
haccian
“to hack, chop, cut roughly”
Old English
OE
sagu
“a saw; a cutting tool with teeth”
Middle English
ME
hakkesaw
“a saw for hacking or rough cutting”
18th–19th Century
English
hacksaw
“a frame saw with a thin blade, especially for metal”
Modern English
English
hacksaw
“a saw used for cutting hard materials, especially metal”