chamfer

[ cham-fer ]

/ ˈtʃæm fər /

noun

a cut that is made in wood or some other material, usually at a 45° angle to the adjacent principal faces.Compare bevel.

verb (used with object)

to make a chamfer on or in.

Nearby words

Origin of chamfer

1595–1605; back formation from chamfering (taken as chamfer + -ing¹) < Middle French chamfrein, variant of chanfreint beveled edge, orig. past participle of chanfraindre to bevel, equivalent to chant edge (< Latin canthus; see cant²) + fraindre to break < Latin frangere; see frangible

Related formscham·fer·er, nounun·cham·fered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chamfer

Chamfer the handles, as shown, for four inches from one end.
Toy Craft|Leon H. Baxter
It is well to chamfer the arrises at the end of the tenon to insure its starting easily into the mortise.
Handwork in Wood|William Noyes
Chamfer the top end of each post, and taper the lower ends as shown in detail.
Mission Furniture|H. H. Windsor
Ten inches down, and on the same side, with the chamfer is a cross gain , the same angle as the chamfer.
Carpentry for Boys|J. S. Zerbe

This is done by forcing a solid ring of lead from a portion of the post down into a chamfer in the top of the cover.
The Automobile Storage Battery|O. A. Witte

British Dictionary definitions for chamfer

chamfer

/ (ˈtʃæmfə) /

noun

a narrow flat surface at the corner of a beam, post, etc, esp one at an angle of 45°Compare bevel (def. 1)

verb (tr)

to cut such a surface on (a beam, etc)

another word for chase 2 (def. 4)

Derived Formschamferer, noun

Word Origin for chamfer

C16: back formation from chamfering, from Old French chamfrein, from chant edge (see cant ²) + fraindre to break, from Latin frangere

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 chamfer

chamfer

c.1600, "small groove cut in wood or stone," from Middle French chanfraindre (15c., Modern French chanfreiner), past participle of chanfraint. The second element seems to be from Latin frangere "to break" (see fraction); perhaps the whole word is cantum frangere "to break the edge." Meaning "bevelled surface of a square edge or corner" is attested from c.1840, of uncertain connection to the other sense.