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bevel

[bev-uh l]
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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.
  3. (of a lock bolt) the oblique end that hits the strike plate.
  4. (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.
  5. bevel square.
  6. an adjustable instrument for drawing angles or adjusting the surface of work to a particular inclination.
  7. Printing. beard(def 5).
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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.
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adjective
  1. Also beveled; especially British, bevelled. oblique; sloping; slanted.
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Origin of bevel

1555–65; < Middle French *bevel (French béveau, biveau), Old French *baivel, equivalent to baïf with open mouth (ba(er) to gape (see bay2) + -if -ive) + -el < Latin -ellus; see -elle
Related formsbev·el·er; especially British, bev·el·ler, nounun·bev·eled, adjectiveun·bev·elled, adjectiveun·der·bev·el·ing, nounun·der·bev·el·ling, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for bevelling

tilt, skew, tend, slope, point, cant, yaw, tip, diverge, stoop, deviate, nod, recline, slant, train, lay, bevel, lower, veer, level

Examples from the Web for bevelling

Historical Examples of bevelling

  • The bevelling of the curves at the ends was the only new feature of the knife work.

    Carpentry and Woodwork

    Edwin W. Foster

  • This looks well and saves the need of bevelling the edges of the roof-boards.

    Woodworking for Beginners

    Charles Gardner Wheeler

  • The most difficult part is the bevelling of the joints (see Bevelling).

    Woodworking for Beginners

    Charles Gardner Wheeler

  • This may, however, be remedied to a great extent by bevelling off the ends from the outside as shown in Fig. 1416.

  • He soon invented a machine for bevelling hoop-rings, and made five thousand dollars the first year from its use.

British Dictionary definitions for bevelling

bevel

noun
    1. Also called: canta surface that meets another at an angle other than a right angleCompare chamfer (def. 1)
    2. (as modifier)a bevel edge; bevel square
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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)
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Derived Formsbevelled or US beveled, adjectivebeveller or US beveler, noun

Word Origin for bevel

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

Word Origin and History for bevelling

bevel

adj.

1560s, possibly from Old French *baivel (Modern French béveau, biveau), possibly from bayer "to gape, yawn," from Latin *batare "to yawn, gape," from Latin root *bat-, possibly imitative of yawning. If so, the time gap is puzzling. The verb is first recorded 1670s. The noun is 1670s, from the adjective.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper