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ax head

ax head

1 4.1
A metal blade at the end of an ax used for chopping wood
  • noun
  • /æks hɛd/
  • US
translation icon : cabeza de hacha
  • With an axe against a straw-stuffed target, he showed how the massive axe head, at the end of a swinging arc, forced itself into the object.

Examples

  • For the men, he had English ax heads, tenpenny nails, hammerheads, and belt buckles - mostly of horn, but one or two special ones of hard iron.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • It's the huge weight of metal in the rest of the axe head that drives that blade in to do the work.

  • As a token of my appreciation, he says he has sent me this axe head protector.

  • The brittle flint of the axe head was made rather thick so that it would not break too easily from the force of the blow, and a strike did not cut in deeply, but instead chipped a little away.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The ax head can become dull after prolonged use, so it is important to sharpen it regularly.

  • He admired the intricate design of the ancient ax head displayed in the museum.

  • When splitting logs, make sure the ax head strikes the wood at the right angle for maximum effectiveness.

How Sharp

razor
210 1.0
knife blade
3 1.0
ax head
  • US
1 4.1
hammerhead
1 3.2

Surface Forms

ax head singular
ax heads plural

Morphology

ax + head

The meaning 'the metal cutting part at the end of an ax' is directly and compositionally derived from 'ax' (the tool) + 'head' (the end or top part). This is a concrete, referential compound found across languages and follows regular noun-noun composition, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand it.

Etymology

The compound noun ax head names the metal head of an ax, the heavy piece fixed to a handle that does the 'cutting' or 'splitting' of wood. So, it simply means the metal cutting part at the end of an ax today.