rock drill
- noun
- /rɑk drɪl/
- Specialized
:
perforadora de roca
- The construction crew used a rock drill to create a hole for the new foundation.
Examples
-
It had, after all, provided the power to operate heavy machinery, such as pneumatic rock drills hundreds of yards beneath the shaft entrance.
Academic text (2012) -
To break through the hard surface, they enlisted a powerful rock drill for the job.
-
- I need a new rock drill.
-
He started with that little smile, looked away, wound up, then hit the cowboy with a punch that came all the way from the middle of his back, a punch that was as fast and as solid as a hard-rock drill.
Fiction book (1990) -
In southern Alberta, some people have gone out of their way to destroy ancient aboriginal pictograms and petroglyphs on the side of a boulder using a rock drill, acid, and a power washer.
Blog text (12) -
The mining team operated a rock drill to extract valuable minerals from deep underground.
Synonyms
90
2.3
A tool that makes holes by turning a sharp bit
4
2.8
A tool that uses electricity or a battery to make holes in hard things like wood and metal
1
7.7
A machine that drills holes in rock or the ground
1
5.0
A heavy drill that uses compressed air to break concrete or road surfaces
A tool that makes holes in hard rock
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a powered tool for drilling holes into rock' is directly and predictably composed from 'rock' (natural solid material) + 'drill' (tool for making holes). This straightforward noun–noun compound follows common compositional patterns in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Rock drill comes from the simple, literal picture of a drill that cuts into rock—think of miners using a heavy, noisy machine to make holes in stone. That's why it means 'a powered tool for drilling holes into rock' today.