lathe

[ leyth ]

/ leɪð /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lathe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

verb (used with object), lathed, lath·ing.

to cut, shape, or otherwise treat on a lathe.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for lathe

Creative writing in Room 205 hones my literary skills like a lathe.
My Teacher Who Brought Magic to Room 205|Susan Jane Gilman|July 20, 2009|DAILY BEAST
On the opposite side of the alley, sparks leap out of a lathe machine as a young man wearing protective goggles sharpens metal.
Shooting Slumdog on the Gritty Streets of Mumbai|Amitava Kumar|November 24, 2008|DAILY BEAST
In Figures 220 and 221 is a drawing of a connecting rod drawn, put together as it would be for the lathe, vise or erecting shop.
Mechanical Drawing Self-Taught|Joshua Rose
The only things that gladdened Jason's heart were the massive drill press and lathe that worked off the slave-power drive belts.
The Ethical Engineer|Henry Maxwell Dempsey

Turkish tops are made from hard wood, turned in a lathe, and painted with bands of various colours.
Turkey|Julius R. Van Millingen
First the chuck is screwed onto the lathe spindle after removing the faceplate.
Turning and Boring|Franklin D. Jones
The rest is now placed parallel to the bed of the lathe and slightly above the center of the spindle.
A Course In Wood Turning|Archie S. Milton and Otto K. Wohlers

British Dictionary definitions for lathe

lathe

/ (leɪð) /

noun

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

verb

(tr) to shape, bore, or cut a screw thread in or on (a workpiece) on a lathe

Word Origin for lathe

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

noun

British history any of the former administrative divisions of Kent

Word Origin for lathe

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

lathe

"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").