Word
hatchet
Phoneticshatch·et, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈhætʃət/
UK/hˈætʃɪt/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a small tool with a short handle and a sharp blade used for cutting wood. You can use it with one hand to chop small logs or branches.
n. a small, short-handled axe designed for use with one hand. Often features a hammer-like surface on the side opposite the blade.
Examples
“He used a hatchet to chop wood for the campfire.”
“The campers packed a lightweight hatchet to help clear small branches from their designated sleeping area.”
“While a full-sized axe is necessary for felling large trees, a well-balanced hatchet is the superior tool for the precise task of splitting kindling for a domestic hearth.”
Examples
simple
“He used a hatchet to chop wood for the campfire.”
contextual
“The campers packed a lightweight hatchet to help clear small branches from their designated sleeping area.”
complex
“While a full-sized axe is necessary for felling large trees, a well-balanced hatchet is the superior tool for the precise task of splitting kindling for a domestic hearth.”
Usage
Commonly appears in the idiom 'to bury the hatchet', meaning to make peace with an enemy.
Real-World Examples
“Pink Floyd buried the hatchet to perform at Live 8 in 2005.” Etymology
From Middle English hachet, a borrowing from Old French hachete, diminutive of hache (“axe”), from Vulgar Latin happia, from Frankish happjā, from Proto-Germanic hapjǭ, habjǭ (“knife”), from Proto-Indo-European *kop- (“to strike, to beat”). Cognate with Old High German happa, heppa, habba (“reaper, sickle”), German Hippe (“billhook”), Dutch heep, hiep (“billhook”), and Ancient Greek κοπίς (kopís). Mostly displaced native Old English handæx, whence Modern English hand axe.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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