bevel

[ bev-uhl ]
See synonyms for: bevelbeveledbevelingbevelled on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the inclination that one line or surface makes with another when not at right angles.

  2. a surface that does not form a right angle with adjacent surfaces.: Compare chamfer.

  1. (of a lock bolt) the oblique end that hits the strike plate.

  2. (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.

  3. an adjustable instrument for drawing angles or adjusting the surface of work to a particular inclination.

  4. Printing. beard (def. 5).

verb (used with or without object),bev·eled, bev·el·ing or (especially British) bev·elled, bev·el·ling.
  1. to cut or slant at a bevel: to bevel an edge to prevent splintering.

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

Origin of bevel

1
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

Words Nearby bevel

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

How to use bevel in a sentence

  • With overhead cam-shafts, bevel gears work out very well in practice, as in the Hall-Scott motors and others of that type.

    Aviation Engines | Victor Wilfred Pag
  • If both are of the same diameter, they are called bevel gears; if of different diameters, miter gears.

  • There are several forms of differential gears, differing largely as to combination of spur or bevel cogs.

    Farm Engines and How to Run Them | James H. Stephenson
  • The makers claim that lost motion can be taken up in a bevel gear much better than in a spur gear.

    Farm Engines and How to Run Them | James H. Stephenson

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
  1. (intr) to be inclined; slope

  2. (tr) to cut a bevel on (a piece of timber, etc)

Origin of bevel

1
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