bevel

[ bev-uhl ]

See synonyms for: bevel beveled beveling bevelled on Thesaurus.com

noun

the inclination that one line or surface makes with another when not at right angles.
a surface that does not form a right angle with adjacent surfaces.: Compare chamfer.

(of a lock bolt) the oblique end that hits the strike plate.
(of a lock with a beveled bolt) the side facing in the same direction as the bevel at the end of the bolt.: Compare regular bevel, reverse bevel.
bevel square.
an adjustable instrument for drawing angles or adjusting the surface of work to a particular inclination.
Printing. beard (def. 5).

verb (used with or without object),bev·eled, bev·el·ing or (especially British) bev·elled, bev·el·ling.

to cut or slant at a bevel: to bevel an edge to prevent splintering.

adjective

Also beveled; especially British, bevelled. oblique; sloping; slanted.

Origin of bevel

First recorded in 1555–65; from unattested Middle French bevel (French béveau, biveau ), unattested Old French baivel, equivalent to baïf “with open mouth” (ba(er) “to gape” (see bay²) + -if adjective suffix) + -el, from Latin -ellus noun suffix; see -ive, -elle

Other words from bevel

bev·el·er; especially British, bev·el·ler, noun
un·bev·eled; especially British, un·bev·elled, adjective
un·der·bev·el·ing; especially British, un·der·bev·el·ling, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bevel in a sentence

The display size will remain at its current 13-inch diagonal measurement, but Apple will reportedly realize smaller overall sizes by reducing the bevel that surrounds the screen’s edge, among other sizing changes.
Apple reportedly planning thinner and lighter MacBook Air with MagSafe charging | Darrell Etherington | January 22, 2021 | TechCrunch
This classic open-shelf storage unit has beveled edges on the back two corners for easy use in corners of rooms.
The best TV and media stands for your home | PopSci Commerce Team | October 16, 2020 | Popular-Science
The individual prisms are usually slender, with one beveled, wedge-like end, but are sometimes needle-like.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
The walls were graced—not crowded—by a tall beveled mirror of French plate and some delicious paintings, framed in gilt.
A Fortune Hunter; Or, The Old Stone Corral | John Dunloe Carteret
He beveled the planks as deeply as he dared, and made his cut around three sides of his square.
Blow The Man Down | Holman Day

One of the best known uses four little beveled pinions, which are placed in the main driving wheel as shown in the cut.
Farm Engines and How to Run Them | James H. Stephenson
The pedestal is a simple column of marble, four and one-half feet high, slightly tapering toward the top, with beveled corners.
A Woman's Hardy Garden | Helena Rutherfurd Ely

British Dictionary definitions for bevel

bevel

/ (ˈbɛvəl) /

noun

- Also called: cant a surface that meets another at an angle other than a right angle: Compare chamfer (def. 1)
- (as modifier): a bevel edge; bevel square

verb-els, -elling or -elled or US -els, -eling or -eled

(intr) to be inclined; slope
(tr) to cut a bevel on (a piece of timber, etc)

Origin of bevel

C16: from Old French bevel (unattested), from baïf, from baer to gape; see bay 1

Derived forms of bevel

bevelled or US beveled, adjective
beveller or US beveler, noun

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

Browse