Saw
/sɔː/noun
A hand tool with a toothed blade used for cutting wood, metal, or other materials.
Did you know?English saw comes from Old English sagu/saga, and the deeper Proto-Indo-European root *sek- means “to cut,” a root that also gave Latin secare and words tied to slicing, severing, and sharp division.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sek-
“to cut”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sagō
“a saw; cutting tool”
Old English
English
sagu
“a saw”
Middle English
English
saw
“a saw”
Modern English
English
saw
“a toothed cutting tool”