Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

adze

/ædz/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.78 in modern English

Syllables: adze
IPA: /ædz/

14

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A cutting tool that has a curved blade set at a right angle to the handle and is used in shaping wood.

verb

To shape a material using an adze.

Example Sentences

"...if I wanted a board, I had no other way but to cut down a tree, set it on an edge before me, and hew it flat on either side with my axe, till I brought it to be thin as a plank, and then dub it smooth with my adze."

Etymology

From Middle English adse, adese, from Old English adesa, eadesa (compare the oldest forms: adosa, adosan), assumed from Proto-Germanic *adisô, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃edʰḗs (compare Hittite [script needed] (atešša, “axe, hatchet”)).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: adse, adesa, *adisô, *h₃edʰḗs

Inflected Forms

adzes (plural) adz (alternative, US) adzes (present, singular) adzing (participle, present) adzed (participle, past) adzed (past)

Derived Forms

adzebill adzelike adzer adzework unadzed

Phrases

adze-eye hammer adze hoe hand-adze

Frequently Paired Words

axe mattock

Synonyms

adz

Homonyms

adds ads adz

Rhymes With

adds ads lads pads dads nads cads adz

Questions

How do you pronounce adze?: The recorded pronunciation is /ædz/.
What does adze mean?: A cutting tool that has a curved blade set at a right angle to the handle and is used in shaping wood.
Where does adze come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce adze

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “adze”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ædz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “adze”.
Repeat and practice — Say “adze” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.