lathe
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Etymology
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
Explanation
A lathe is a tool that shapes a rotating piece of wood or metal. If you want to build a beautiful dining room table, you'll need a lathe to make the legs. Using a lathe, you can cut, drill, or sand wood while it turns—making the piece more symmetrical than it would be without the tool. A potter's wheel, which turns clay as you shape it with your hands, is actually a type of lathe. Many common objects are made using lathes, including baseball bats, some musical instruments, and candlesticks. A person who uses a lathe is officially called a turner.
Vocabulary lists containing lathe
Mechanical Engineering
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Visual Arts - High School
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Visual Arts - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A farmer who owned a Model T didn’t need a forge or metal lathe to fix his engine; he could simply order a replacement part—or cannibalize one from a wrecked car in a junkyard.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
To do the work, the team used a large lathe to spin a detached brake rotor and caliper.
From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2024
But there is a wooden cross that Jimmy Carter fashioned in his woodshop and offering plates that he turned on his lathe.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 28, 2023
The Light Gas Gun at the University of Kent is an unwieldy device which, to me, looks more like a lathe than a gun.
From BBC • May 18, 2023
She was tying back her hair to prevent it from getting caught in the lathe.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
