mattock
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of mattock
before 900; Middle English mattok, Old English mattuc
Vocabulary lists containing mattock
National Spelling Bee '14: Prelims Round 2
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Using a small ax called a mattock to loosen the dirt, he uprooted several with a gentle tug, depositing them in a plastic grocery bag.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2022
I find a mattock is a great tool for planting little plugs, especially in heavy soil.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2021
The mattock that Martin was making was going to be a gift for Rainey, which she would use in the small garden behind her house.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 19, 2019
But her next disability check was three days away, and she didn’t have enough roots, not nearly enough, so down the mattock went again.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 6, 2017
Watching while they opened up the rocky hillside ground with pick and mattock and brought to light a great bolus of serpents perhaps a hundred in number.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
