hatchet

[ hach-it ]
See synonyms for: hatchethatchetedhatcheting on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a small, short-handled ax having the end of the head opposite the blade in the form of a hammer, made to be used with one hand.

  2. a tomahawk.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cut, destroy, kill, etc., with a hatchet.

  2. to abridge, delete, excise, etc.: The network censor may hatchet 30 minutes from the script.

Idioms about hatchet

  1. bury the hatchet, to become reconciled or reunited; make peace.

  2. take up the hatchet, to begin or resume hostilities; prepare for or go to war: The natives are taking up the hatchet against the enemy.

Origin of hatchet

1
1300–50; 1670–80, Americanismfor def. 6; Middle English hachet<Middle French hachette, diminutive (see -et) of hache ax <Frankish *hapja kind of knife; akin to Greek kóptein to cut (cf. comma, syncope)

Other words from hatchet

  • hatch·et·like, adjective

Words Nearby hatchet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hatchet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hatchet

hatchet

/ (ˈhætʃɪt) /


noun
  1. a short axe used for chopping wood, etc

  2. a tomahawk

  1. (modifier) of narrow dimensions and sharp features: a hatchet face

  2. bury the hatchet to cease hostilities and become reconciled

Origin of hatchet

1
C14: from Old French hachette, from hache axe, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German happa knife

Derived forms of hatchet

  • hatchet-like, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with hatchet

hatchet

In addition to the idioms beginning with hatchet

  • hatchet job
  • hatchet man

also see:

  • bury the hatchet

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.