pickaxe

/ ˈpɪkˌæks /

noun

1. a large pick or mattock

verb

1. to use a pickaxe on (earth, rocks, etc)

Word History and Origins

Origin of pickaxe¹

C15: from earlier pikois (but influenced also by _axe ), from Old French picois, from pic _pick ²; compare also _pique ¹

Example Sentences

The moment a British person says to a neighbour, “Well, your garden is looking lovely today, Geoffrey,” you know for certain that Geoffrey is about to be murdered with a pickaxe.

From Los Angeles Times

Each one hefted a nasty-looking pickaxe, and each one looked ready to use it.

From Literature

Mr Fooks was digging with a pickaxe by torchlight when he found the coins in a pottery bowl buried in a bare earth floor.

From BBC

One of the property's new owners, Robert Fooks, was digging with a pickaxe by torchlight when he found the trove in a pottery bowl.

From BBC

Prosecutors said Caballero struck the teen multiple times with a pickaxe and then helped the gang bury him in a shallow grave.

From Washington Times