machete meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

machete

noun

/məˈʃɛ.ti/ · /məˈt͡ʃɛ.ti/

Etymology From Spanish machete, diminutive of macho (“sledgehammer”), from Latin mattea, possibly from mactare (“slaughter in sacrifice”); cognate with Old French machier, French massue, English mace.

A sword-like tool used for cutting large plants with a chopping motion, or used as a weapon.

Near-synonyms: (all sometimes or regionally synonymous) bolo, golok, panga, parang, sundang
It breaks loose one rope at a time, haphazardly, tossing the Filipinos up into the air. A boy with a machete cuts the one remaining line, which pops up and lashes him across the face.1992, Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash, page 384:

A small stringed instrument from Madeira, Portugal, having a double bulged body, traditionally of wood, with a small rib and four metallic strings, sometimes attached by wooden pegs.

Derived terms: machete beta, machetelike
Related terms: cleaver, fascine knife, hatchet

machete

verb

To cut or chop with a machete.

After some hours of intense work, we had macheted a path through the jungle to the bank of the river.