Dictionary.com

lathe

[ leyth ]
/ leɪð /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: lathe / lathed / lathing 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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lathe

lath, lathe
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lathe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lathe (1 of 2)

lathe1
/ (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

British Dictionary definitions for lathe (2 of 2)

lathe2
/ (leɪð) /

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
FEEDBACK