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Glite Dictionary
half hatchet

half hatchet

8.1
A small axe that has one flat side for hammering and one sharp side for chopping wood
  • noun
translation icon : media hacha
  • The carpenter’s toolbox included a well-worn half hatchet among other essential tools.

Examples

  • He used a half hatchet to split small logs for the campfire.

  • I bought a new half hatchet for my camping trip.

  • A half hatchet is especially handy for both chopping and hammering tasks.

  • The carpenter used a half hatchet to shape the wood.

  • The carpenter's toolbox included a well-worn half hatchet among other essential tools.

  • He used a half hatchet to split small logs for the campfire.

  • I bought a new half hatchet for my camping trip.

Synonyms

hatchet
vshalf hatchet
57 3.8

A small axe with a short handle used with one hand to chop wood

is a specific version with a half axe head for carpentry and outdoor work

Surface Forms

half hatchet singular
half hatchets plural

Morphology

half + hatchet

The noun phrase is compositionally built from 'half' (one of two equal portions / partial) modifying 'hatchet' (small axe), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a hatchet that is half-sized or has a partial/half axe head. There is no idiomatic or metaphorical shift here and the modifier-head pattern is cross-linguistically common, making the meaning immediately accessible from the constituents.

Etymology

Half hatchet comes from a tool that is actually half hatchet and half hammer, with one edge to cut like an axe and a flat side to hit nails. That's why the name means a small tool used for both 'chopping' and 'hammering'.