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Axe vs Tomahawk - What's the difference?

axe | tomahawk |

As nouns the difference between axe and tomahawk

is that axe is a tool for felling trees or chopping wood etc. consisting of a heavy head flattened to a blade on one side, and a handle attached to it while tomahawk is an ax/axe used by American Indian (First Nations) warriors.

As verbs the difference between axe and tomahawk

is that axe is to fell or chop with an axe while tomahawk is to strike with a tomahawk.

axe

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl), from (etyl) , and also (etyl) (m).

Alternative forms

* ax (largely US)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A tool for felling trees or chopping wood etc. consisting of a heavy head flattened to a blade on one side, and a handle attached to it.
  • An ancient weapon consisting of a head that has one or two blades and a long handle.
  • (informal) A dismissal or rejection.
  • His girlfriend/boss/schoolmaster gave him the axe .
  • * 1975 , (Bob Dylan), (Tangled Up in Blue)
  • I had a job in the great North Woods
    Workin' as a cook for a spell.
    But I never did like it all that much
    And one day the axe just fell.
  • (slang, music) A gigging musician's particular instrument, especially a guitar in rock music or a saxophone in jazz.
  • (finance) A directional position or interest, by a dealer in a financial market – if one wishes to unload stock, one is “axed to sell” or “has an axe”. Shedding the correlation ‘axe’, Risk magazine Derived from “have an axe to grind”, which is also used.
  • Usage notes
    In the United States, this spelling is often used to distinguish the weapon from the tool, though some simply don't use the "ax" spelling at all, and only use "axe".
    Synonyms
    * chop, pink slip, sack, boot
    Derived terms
    * have an axe to grind * battle axe * axeman
    See also
    * adze * hatchet * twibill

    Verb

    (ax)
  • To fell or chop with an axe.
  • To terminate or reduce tremendously in a rough or ruthless manner.
  • The government announced its plans to axe public spending.
    The broadcaster axed the series because far less people than expected watched it.
  • To lay off: to terminate a person's employment
  • He got axed in the last round of firings.
    Synonyms
    * (lay off) fire, lay off, downsize

    Etymology 2

    Alternative forms

    * (US)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (archaic) The axle of a wheel.
  • Verb

    (ax)
  • To furnish with an axle.
  • Etymology 3

    Verb

    (ax)
  • (obsolete, or, dialectal)
  • * 1395 , John Wycliffe, trans. Bible , 1 Corinthis 14:35:
  • But if thei wolen ony thing lerne, at home axe thei her hosebondis; for it is foule thing to a womman to speke in chirche.
  • * 1526 , William Tyndale, trans. Bible , Luke IIi:
  • And the people axed hym, sayinge: What shall we do then.

    tomahawk

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An ax/axe used by American Indian (First Nations) warriors.
  • * 1615 , Ralph Hamor, A True Discourse of the Present State of Virginia (published in Richmond in 1957), page 13:
  • yeerely bring into our store house, at the beginning of their haruest two bushels of corne a man [...] for which they should receiue so many Iron Tomahawkes or small hatchets.
  • (basketball): A dunk in which the person dunking the ball does so with his arm behind his head.
  • (geometry) A geometric construction consisting of a semicircle and two line segments that serves as a tool for trisecting an angle; so called from its resemblance to the American Indian axe.
  • (field hockey) A field hockey shot style that involves a player turning their hockey stick upside-down and swinging it so that its inside edge will come into contact with the ball.
  • Derived terms

    * blow tomahawks * tomahawked * tomahawk improvement * tomahawk settler

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To strike with a tomahawk.
  • *1906 , (FE Smith), maiden speech to House of Commons, 12 Mar 1906:
  • *:Not satisfied with tomahawking our colleagues in the country, they ask the scanty remnant in the House to join in the scalp dance.
  • Derived terms

    * tomahawker * tomahawking