Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

lathe

[leyth]
See more synonyms for lathe on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a machine for use in working wood, metal, etc., that holds the material and rotates it about a horizontal axis against a tool that shapes it.
Show More
verb (used with object), lathed, lath·ing.
  1. to cut, shape, or otherwise treat on a lathe.
Show More

Origin of lathe

1300–50; Middle English: frame, stand, lathe; compare Old Norse hlath stack (see lade), Danish -lad in væverlad weaver's batten, savelad saw bench
Can be confusedlath lathe
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

spire, steeple, minaret, belfry, lathe, drill, mill, saw, borer, grinder, shaper

Examples from the Web for lathe

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

British Dictionary definitions for lathe

lathe1

noun
  1. a machine for shaping, boring, facing, or cutting a screw thread in metal, wood, etc, in which the workpiece is turned about a horizontal axis against a fixed tool
Show More
verb
  1. (tr) to shape, bore, or cut a screw thread in or on (a workpiece) on a lathe
Show More

Word Origin

perhaps C15 lath a support, of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Danish lad lathe, Old English hlæd heap

lathe2

noun
  1. British history any of the former administrative divisions of Kent
Show More

Word Origin

Old English læth district
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 lathe

n.

"machine for turning," early 14c., of uncertain origin, probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. Danish drejelad "turning-lathe," Old Norse hlaða "pile of shavings under a lathe," related to hlaða "to load, lade").

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper