jigsaw

[jig-saw]

noun

1. Also jig saw an electric machine saw with a narrow blade mounted vertically in a frame, for cutting curves or other difficult lines or patterns.

verb (used with object)

jigsawed, jigsawed, jigsawn, jigsawing. 

1. to cut or form with a jigsaw.

adjective

1. formed by or as if by a jigsaw.

   jigsaw ornamentation.

jigsaw

/ ˈdʒɪɡˌsɔː /

noun

1. a mechanical saw with a fine steel blade for cutting intricate curves in sheets of material

2. See jigsaw puzzle

Word History and Origins

Origin of jigsaw¹

First recorded in 1870–75; jig ² + saw ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of jigsaw¹

C19: from _jig (to jerk up and down rapidly) + _saw ¹

Example Sentences

Five of those staircases will eventually be fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle to form the show’s iconic barricade where the student revolutionaries fight and die in Act 2.

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With no missing person reports matching the remains, investigating officers had to piece together a jigsaw using largely untested methods.

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An adviser can help you put all the pieces into one big jigsaw puzzle that is your life.

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Since joining in January, he has become the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle they needed last year in midfield.

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“The Stormtrooper scene was like a jigsaw puzzle. We had to mix a practical location with a staged set and then all the TIE fighter stuff was also shot on a stage.”

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Related Words

• break 
• crack 
• damage 
• divide 
• grab 
• injure 
• mangle 
• pull 
• rive 
• rupture 
• separate 
• sever 
• shred 
• slash 
• snatch 
• split 
• wrench 
• yank