Etymology The noun from Middle English sawe, sawgh, from Old English saga, sagu (“saw”), from Proto-West Germanic *sagu, from Proto-Germanic *sagô, *sagō (“saw”), from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”). Cognate with West Frisian seage (“saw”), Dutch zaag (“saw”), German Säge (“saw”), Danish sav (“saw”), Faroese, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk sag (“saw”), Swedish såg (“saw”), Icelandic sög (“saw”), and through Indo-European, with Latin secō (“cut”) and Italian sega (“saw”). The verb from Middle English sawen, from the noun above.
› A tool used for cutting hard substances, in…
1
Usually Such a tool with a toothed blade.
Meronyms: sawtooth < sawblade
2
Sometimes Such a tool with an abrasive coating instead of teeth.
3
A musical saw.
4
A sawtooth wave.
5
The situation where two partners agree to trump a suit alternately, playing that suit to each other for the express purpose.
Etymology The noun from Middle English sawe, sawgh, from Old English saga, sagu (“saw”), from Proto-West Germanic *sagu, from Proto-Germanic *sagô, *sagō (“saw”), from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”). Cognate with West Frisian seage (“saw”), Dutch zaag (“saw”), German Säge (“saw”), Danish sav (“saw”), Faroese, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk sag (“saw”), Swedish såg (“saw”), Icelandic sög (“saw”), and through Indo-European, with Latin secō (“cut”) and Italian sega (“saw”). The verb from Middle English sawen, from the noun above.
1
To cut (something) with a saw.
They were stoned, they were sawen asunder, were tempted, were slaine with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskinnes, and goat skins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Hebrews 11:37:
2
To make a motion back and forth similar to cutting something with a saw.
He said he was sometimes whistling a tune to himself — for, like me, he sawed a good deal on the fiddle; […]1835, James Hogg, The Story of Euphemia Hewit:
3
To be cut with a saw.
The timber saws smoothly.
4
To form or produce (something) by cutting with a saw.
to saw boards or planks (i.e. to saw logs or timber into boards or planks)
to saw shingles
2 more examples
to saw out a panel
Locally sawn lumber—whether from small mills, local yards, or urban logs—often shows much more variation.2026 August 23, Logan Wittmer, “Whiskey Cabinet”, in Popular Woodworking, volume 290, number 4, page 53:
Islam, Lifestyle, ReligionProscribed, Sometimes صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ (ṣallā llāhu ʕalayhi wa-sallama, “peace be upon him”)
saw
noun
Etymology From Middle English sawe, from Old English sagu, saga (“story, tale, saying, statement, report, narrative, tradition”), from Proto-West Germanic *sagā, from Proto-Germanic *sagō, *sagǭ (“saying, story”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷe-, *skʷē-, from *sekʷ- (“to say”). Cognate with Dutch sage (“saga”), German Sage (“legend, saga, tale, fable”), Danish sagn (“legend”), Norwegian soga (“story”), Icelandic saga (“story, tale, history”). More at saga, say. Doublet of saga.
And for thy trew sawys, and I may lyve many wynters, there was never no knyght better rewardid[…]. And for your true discourses, and I may live many winters, there was never no knight better rewarded[…].1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book V, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC:
And then the justice, / In fair round belly with good capon lined, / With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, / Full of wise saws and modern instances.c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene vii], lines 152-5:
1 more example
At his crowning[…] the priest in his honour preached on the saw, 'Vox populi, vox Dei.'1902, Charles Robert Ashbee, Masque of the Edwards of England, page 8:
[Love] rules the creatures by his powerful saw.1595, Ed. Spencer [i.e., Edmund Spenser], “Colin Clouts Come Home Againe”, in Colin Clouts Come Home Againe, London: […] T[homas] C[reede] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
Since Tea Cake and Janie had friended with the Bahaman workers in the ’Glades, they, the “Saws,” had been gradually drawn into the American crowd.1937, Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Harper Perennial, published 2000, page 154: