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Axed vs Wean - What's the difference?

axed | wean |

As verbs the difference between axed and wean

is that axed is past tense of axe while wean is to cease giving milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder.

As a noun wean is

a small child.

axed

English

Verb

(head)
  • (axe)

    • 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.

    References

    English terms with multiple etymologies ----

    wean

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) wenian.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To cease giving milk to an offspring; to accustom and reconcile (a child or young animal) to a want or deprivation of mother's milk; to take from the breast or udder.
    • The cow has weaned her calf.
  • * Bible, Genesis xxi. 8
    • Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned .
  • To cause to quit something to which one is addicted or habituated.
    • He managed to wean himself off heroin.
  • * Jonathan Swift
    • The troubles of age were intended to wean us gradually from our fondness of life.
  • To cease to depend on the mother for nourishment.
    • The kittens are finally weaning .
  • To cease to depend.
    • She is weaning from her addiction to tobacco.

    Etymology 2

    .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (Scotland) A small child.
  • * 2008 , (James Kelman), Kieron Smith, Boy , Penguin 2009, p. 92:
    • Pigs, cows and sheep and wee ducks, that was what he bought and it was just for weans and wee lasses. I said it to my maw.
    Oh it is not weans' it is children. Oh Kieron, it is children and girls, do not say ' weans and lasses.
  • * Elizabeth Browning
    • I, being but a yearling wean .

    Anagrams

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