saw

¹

[ saw ]

noun

1. a tool or device for cutting, typically a thin blade of metal with a series of sharp teeth.
2. any similar tool or device, as a rotating disk, in which a sharp continuous edge replaces the teeth.

verb (used with object)

, sawed, sawed or sawn, saw·ing.

1. to cut or divide with a saw.
2. to form by cutting with a saw.
3. to make cutting motions as if using a saw:

   to saw the air with one's hands.

4. to work (something) from side to side like a saw.

verb (used without object)

, sawed, sawed or sawn, saw·ing.

1. to use a saw.
2. to cut with or as if with a saw.
3. to cut as a saw does.

saw

²

[ saw ]

verb

1. simple past tense of see ¹.

saw

³

[ saw ]

noun

1. a sententious saying; maxim; proverb:

   He could muster an old saw for every occasion.

saw

¹

/ sɔː /

noun

1. a wise saying, maxim, or proverb

saw

²

/ sɔː /

verb

1. the past tense of see 1

SAW

³

abbreviation for

1. surface acoustic wave

saw

⁴

/ sɔː /

noun

1. any of various hand tools for cutting wood, metal, etc, having a blade with teeth along one edge
2. any of various machines or devices for cutting by use of a toothed blade, such as a power-driven circular toothed wheel or toothed band of metal

verb

1. to cut with a saw
2. to form by sawing
3. to cut as if wielding a saw

   to saw the air

4. to move (an object) from side to side as if moving a saw

Derived Forms

• ˈsawer, noun
• ˈsawˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• sawer noun
• sawlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of saw¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun sau(e), soue, zaue, Old English saga, sagu; cognate with Dutch zaag, Old Norse sǫg, German Säge, all meaning “saw”; akin to Latin secāre “to cut,” Old English seax “short sword, knife, dagger”; the verb is derivative of the noun; sax ², section

Origin of saw²

First recorded before 950; Middle English sau(e), sauhe, sagh(e) “talk, words, something said,” Old English sagu “a saying, speech, narrative”; cognate with German Sage “legend, fable, myth, tradition,” Old Norse saga “statement, tale, story, history”; saga, say ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of saw¹

Old English sagu a saying; related to saga

Origin of saw²

Old English sagu; related to Old Norse sog, Old High German saga, Latin secāre to cut, secūris axe

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. saw wood, Informal. to snore loudly while sleeping.

More idioms and phrases containing saw

see old saw .

Example Sentences

Every economic supersector except mining and logging saw job gains in August, and all but a few made gains in June and July as well.

From FiveThirtyEight

Into such surgical headgear, Musk believes, billions of consumers will one day willingly place their heads, submitting as an automated saw carves out a circle of bone and a robot threads electronics into their brains.

From MIT Technology Review

A cordless miter saw gives you the freedom to set up anywhere you want to work on the project you need to complete.

From Popular-Science

In case you’re wondering what a miter saw does, it’s a specialized power tool that helps you cut wood at different angles—think for crown molding, garden beds, door frames, and more.

From Popular-Science

The man, Wayne Reyes, who police said aimed a sawed-off shotgun at them, died at the scene.

From No Straight News

But Krauss said that from the moment he and the other scientists arrived on the island, they never saw anything untoward.

From The Daily Beast

Because they stopped and I thought, “OK, that makes sense,” and then all of a sudden I saw another issue!

From The Daily Beast

“We saw his background and he was a Bronx guy and we started breaking the case,” Boyce says.

From The Daily Beast

We just saw an edit of one called, “Doug Becomes A Feminist,” and I just really enjoyed watching it.

From The Daily Beast

In Rwanda, as we watched the young fathers hold their babies, we saw a contented look in their eyes.

From The Daily Beast

Davy looked around and saw an old man coming toward them across the lawn.

From Project Gutenberg

Even as they gazed they saw its roof caught up, and whirled off as if it had been a scroll of paper.

From Project Gutenberg

In the evening, St. Peter's and its accessories were illuminated—by far the most brilliant spectacle I ever saw.

From Project Gutenberg

There was no fighting; a rifle shot now and then from the crests where we saw our fellows clearly.

From Project Gutenberg

As his eye became accustomed to the gloom, David Arden saw traces of gilding on the walls.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• saying