zax

American  

[zaks] / zæks /

noun

1. a hatchetlike tool for cutting and punching nail holes in roofing slate.

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zax British  

/ zæks /

noun

1. a variant of sax 1

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Usage

What is a zax? A zax is a hatchet-like tool used for cutting and punching holes in slate or other roofing materials. A zax, also known as a slater’s ax, is a specialized tool used by a slater, someone who constructs roofs and other parts of buildings out of slate. One side of the zax is a wide blade, shaped like a cleaver, which is used to cut pieces of slate to the desired shape or to define an edge. The other side of the zax has a stake that is used to strike the slate, punching holes into it for nails, screws, pegs, or other similar. There are right-handed zaxes and left-handed zaxes so that the user can use their dominant hand to cut the slate. Example: I dulled my zax over the years and now slate breaks in the wrong way.

Etymology

Origin of zax

Dialectal variant of sax ²