pickax

[ pik-aks ]

/ ˈpɪkˌæks /

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a pick, especially a mattock.

to cut or clear away with a pickax.

to use a pickax.

QUIZZES

Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!

Question 1 of 12

On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.

1275–1325; pick² + ax; replacing Middle English picois<Middle French, Old French; akin to French picpick². See pique¹

"I should think you might guess," replied George quietly, while putting down his pickax and taking off his coat.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend|Charles Reade
We got over the heavy floe-ice, to find ourselves confronted with jagged, rough ice, where we had to pickax our way.
A Negro Explorer at the North Pole|Matthew A. Henson
Then, muttering to himself, he brought out pickax and spade and began his work.
Story Hour Readings: Seventh Year|E.C. Hartwell
I began to dig in the rock, yet was obliged to desist for want of a pickax, shovel, and wheel-barrow.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe

Jack and Alfonso were supplied with a pickax, a shovel and a basket.
The Slave of the Mine|Bracebridge Hemyng