Saw SAW, pret. of see. SAW, n. [See the Verb.] 1. A
cutting instrument consisting of a blade or thin plate of iron or steel,
with one edge dentated or toothed. 2. A saying; proverb; maxim;
decree. Obs. [See Say.] SAW, v.t. pret. sawed; pp. sawed or
sawn. [L. seco;] 1. To cut with a saw; to separate with a saw; as,
to saw timber or marble. 2. To form by cutting with a saw; as, to
saw boards or planks, that is, to saw timber into boards or planks. SAW, v.i. 1. To use a saw; to practice sawing; as, a man saws
well. 2. To cut with a saw; as, the mill saws fast or well. 3. To
be cut with a saw; as, the timber saws smooth. SAW'-DUST,
n. Dust or small fragments of wood or stone made by the attrition of
a saw.
saw
n 1: a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important
fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
[syn: proverb, adage, saw, byword]
2: hand tool having a toothed blade for cutting
3: a power tool for cutting wood [syn: power saw, saw,
sawing machine]
v 1: cut with a saw; "saw wood for the fireplace"
saw I. past ofseeII. nounEtymology: Middle English sawe, from Old English sagu;
akin to Old High German sega saw, Latin secare to cut
Date: before 12th century
a hand or power tool or a machine used to cut hard material (as wood,
metal, or bone) and equipped usually with a toothed blade or disk •
sawlikeadjectiveIII. verb (sawed; sawedorsawn;
sawing)
Date: 13th century transitive verb1. to cut with a saw 2. to produce or form by cutting with
a saw 3. to slash as though with a saw
intransitive verb1.a. to use a saw b. to cut with or as if with a saw
2. to undergo cutting with a saw 3. to make motions as
though using a saw <sawed at the reins>
• sawernounIV. nounEtymology: Middle English sawe, from Old English sagu
discourse; akin to Old High German & Old Norse saga tale,
Old English secgan to say — more at sayDate: before
12th century
maxim, proverb
saw 1. n. & v. --n. 1 a a hand tool having a toothed blade used to cut esp. wood with a to-and-fro movement. b any of several mechanical power-driven devices with a toothed rotating
disk or moving band, for cutting. 2 Zool. etc. a serrated organ or part. --v. (past part. sawn or sawed) 1 tr. a cut (wood etc.) with a saw. b make (boards etc.) with a saw. 2 intr.
use a saw. 3 a intr. move to and fro with a motion as of a saw or person sawing (sawing away on his violin). b tr. divide (the air etc.) with gesticulations. Phrases and
idioms: saw-doctor a machine for making the teeth of a saw. saw-edged with a jagged edge like a saw. saw-frame a frame in which a saw-blade is held taut. saw-gate = saw-frame. saw-gin =
cotton-gin. saw-horse a rack supporting wood for sawing. sawn-off (US sawed-off) 1 (of a gun) having part of the barrel sawn off to make it easier to handle and give a wider field of fire. 2
colloq. (of a person) short. saw-pit a pit in which the lower of two men working a pit-saw stands. saw-set a tool for wrenching saw-teeth in alternate directions to allow the saw to work freely.
saw-wort a composite plant, Serratula tinctoria, yielding a yellow dye from its serrated leaves. Derivatives: sawlike adj. Etymology: OE saga f. Gmc 2. past of
SEE(1). 3. n. a proverb; a maxim (that's just an old saw). Etymology: OE sagu f. Gmc, rel. to SAY: cf. SAGA
saw
(saws, sawing, sawed, sawn)
1. Saw is the past tense of see.
2. A saw is a tool for cutting wood, which has a blade with sharp teeth along one
edge. Some saws are pushed backwards and forwards by hand, and others are powered by electricity.
N-COUNTsee alsochain saw
3. If you saw something, you cut it with a saw.
He escaped by sawing through the bars of his cell...Your father is sawing wood.VERB: V prep/adv, V n
Saw \Saw\, n. [OE. sawe, AS. sagu; akin to secgan to say. See
Say, v. t. and cf. Saga.]
1. Something said; speech; discourse. [Obs.] ``To hearken all
his sawe.'' --Chaucer.
2. A saying; a proverb; a maxim.
His champions are the prophets and apostles, His
weapons holy saws of sacred writ. --Shak.
3. Dictate; command; decree. [Obs.]
[Love] rules the creatures by his powerful saw.
--Spenser.
Saw \Saw\, n. [OE. sawe, AS. sage; akin to D. zaag, G. s["a]ge,
OHG. sega, saga, Dan. sav, Sw. s[*a]g, Icel. s["o]g, L.
secare to cut, securis ax, secula sickle. Cf. Scythe,
Sickle, Section, Sedge.]
An instrument for cutting or dividing substances, as wood,
iron, etc., consisting of a thin blade, or plate, of steel,
with a series of sharp teeth on the edge, which remove
successive portions of the material by cutting and tearing.
Note: Saw is frequently used adjectively, or as the first
part of a compound.
Band saw, Crosscut saw, etc. See under Band,
Crosscut, etc.
Circular saw, a disk of steel with saw teeth upon its
periphery, and revolved on an arbor.
Saw bench, a bench or table with a flat top for for sawing,
especially with a circular saw which projects above the
table.
Saw file, a three-cornered file, such as is used for
sharpening saw teeth.
Saw frame, the frame or sash in a sawmill, in which the
saw, or gang of saws, is held.
Saw gate, a saw frame.
Saw gin, the form of cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney, in
which the cotton fibers are drawn, by the teeth of a set
of revolving circular saws, through a wire grating which
is too fine for the seeds to pass.
Saw grass (Bot.), any one of certain cyperaceous plants
having the edges of the leaves set with minute sharp
teeth, especially the Cladium Mariscus of Europe, and
the Cladium effusum of the Southern United States. Cf.
Razor grass, under Razor.
Saw log, a log of suitable size for sawing into lumber.
Saw mandrel, a mandrel on which a circular saw is fastened
for running.
Saw pit, a pit over which timbor is sawed by two men, one
standing below the timber and the other above. --Mortimer.
Saw sharpener (Zo["o]l.), the great titmouse; -- so named
from its harsh call note. [Prov. Eng.]
Saw whetter (Zo["o]l.), the marsh titmouse ({Parus
palustris}); -- so named from its call note. [Prov. Eng.]
Saw \Saw\, v. i.
1. To use a saw; to practice sawing; as, a man saws well.
2. To cut, as a saw; as, the saw or mill saws fast.
3. To be cut with a saw; as, the timber saws smoothly.
Saw \Saw\, v. t. [imp. Sawed; p. p. Sawed or Sawn; p. pr.
& vb. n. Sawing.]
1. To cut with a saw; to separate with a saw; as, to saw
timber or marble.
2. To form by cutting with a saw; as, to saw boards or
planks, that is, to saw logs or timber into boards or
planks; to saw shingles; to saw out a panel.
3. Also used figuratively; as, to saw the air.
See \See\, v. t. [imp. Saw; p. p. Seen; p. pr. & vb. n.
Seeing.] [OE. seen, sen, seon, As. se['o]n; akin to OFries.
s[=i]a, D. zien, OS. & OHG. sehan, G. sehen, Icel. sj[=a],
Sw. se, Dan. see, Goth. sa['i]hwan, and probably to L. sequi
to follow (and so originally meaning, to follow with the
eyes). Gr. ??????, Skr. sac. Cf. Sight, Sun to follow.]
1. To perceive by the eye; to have knowledge of the existence
and apparent qualities of by the organs of sight; to
behold; to descry; to view.
I will new turn aside, and see this great sight.
--Ex. iii. 3.
2. To perceive by mental vision; to form an idea or
conception of; to note with the mind; to observe; to
discern; to distinguish; to understand; to comprehend; to
ascertain.
Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy
brethren. --Gen. xxxvii.
14.
Jesus saw that he answered discreetly. --Mark xii.
34.
Who 's so gross That seeth not this palpable device?
--Shak.
3. To follow with the eyes, or as with the eyes; to watch; to
regard attentivelly; to look after. --Shak.
I had a mind to see him out, and therefore did not
care for centradicting him. --Addison.
4. To have an interview with; especially, to make a call
upon; to visit; as, to go to see a friend.
And Samuel came no more to see Saul untill the day
of his death. --1 Sam. xv.
35.
5. To fall in with; to have intercourse or communication
with; hence, to have knowledge or experience of; as, to
see military service.
Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast
afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen
evil. --Ps. xc. 15.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my
saying, he shall never see death. --John viii.
51.
Improvement in visdom and prudence by seeing men.
--Locke.
6. To accompany in person; to escort; to wait upon; as, to
see one home; to see one aboard the cars.
God you ({him, or me}, etc.) see, God keep you (him, me,
etc.) in his sight; God protect you. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
To see (anything) out, to see (it) to the end; to be
present at, or attend, to the end.
To see stars, to see flashes of light, like stars; --
sometimes the result of concussion of the head. [Colloq.]
To see (one) through, to help, watch, or guard (one) to the
end of a course or an undertaking.
saw
̈ɪsɔ: n. proverb, maxim, (old) saying, aphorism, apophthegm or apothegm, axiom, adage,
epigram, gnome; slogan, motto, catchword, catch-phrase, byword; dictum, platitude, truism, clich÷,
commonplace: She always quoted to him the old saw, 'A fool and his mother are soon parted'.
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