Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A portable power saw with teeth linked to form a loop of chain.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A surgical saw, consisting of a chain the links of which have a serrated edge, used in amputations between small bones on account of its adjustability.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun a portable power saw having teeth that are linked to form an endless chain, rotated about two pivot points by a power mechanism, such as an electric motor or a gasoline engine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A saw that has a power driven and fast revolving chain of metal teeth, usually used to cut trees.
  • verb To cut with a chainsaw.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun portable power saw; teeth linked to form an endless chain
  • noun portable power saw; teeth linked to form an endless chain

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From chain +‎ saw due to the chain cutting mechanism.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word chainsaw.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.