carpenter's level
1
3.7
- noun
- /ˈkɑːrpəntərz ˈlɛvəl/
:
nivel de carpintero
- Before hanging the picture, he used a carpenter's level to confirm it was even on the wall.
- use a carpenter's level
Examples
-
A carpenter's level ensured that the pipe was level.
Academic text (1998) -
The scoliometer device resembles a carpenter's level and contains an air bubble in an enclosed capsule.
Academic text (2002) -
To ensure the shelf is straight, use a carpenter's level to check if it is perfectly horizontal.
-
The builder grabbed a carpenter's level to verify that the beam was aligned correctly.
Synonyms
145
3.2
A tool with a tube of liquid and a bubble to check if something is flat
1
4.1
A tool with a closed tube and a bubble to check if surfaces like a shelf are flat or upright
A long tool with a bubble that masons use to check that walls and floors are flat
A tool with a hanging string and a bubble level to check vertical or horizontal lines
How Precise
- Specialized
7
7.2
1
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
carpenter's + level
The phrase combines a clear possessive/genitive construction (carpenter's = belonging to or used by a carpenter) with a fully transparent head noun 'level' (a tube with a bubble for checking horizontality). A B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer this denotes the tool a carpenter uses to check horizontality/verticality, so the meaning is compositional and predictable.
Etymology
Carpenter's level names the tool used by carpenters; carpenter's shows who used it and level shows its job. The tool is a straight bar with a small glass tube and a bubble of liquid that tells when a surface is flat, so the name means 'a tool to check if a surface is horizontal or vertical'.