HATCHET

hatchet

(noun) a small ax with a short handle used with one hand (usually to chop wood)

tomahawk, hatchet

(noun) weapon consisting of a fighting ax; used by North American Indians

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

hatchet (plural hatchets)

A small light axe with a short handle; a tomahawk.

Verb

hatchet (third-person singular simple present hatchets, present participle hatchetting or hatcheting, simple past and past participle hatchetted or hatcheted)

(transitive) To cut with a hatchet.

Source: Wiktionary

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Hatch"et, n. Etym: [F. hachette, dim. of hache Hatch, Hash.]

1. A small ax with a short handle, to be used with one hand.

2. Specifically, a tomahawk. Buried was the bloody hatchet. Longfellow.

Hatchet face, a thin, sharp face, like the edge of a hatchet; hence: Hatchet-faced, sharp-visaged. Dryden.

– To bury the hatchet, to make peace or become reconciled.

– To take up the hatchet, to make or declare war. The last two phrases are derived from the practice of the American Indians.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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