tomahawk
/ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk/
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.89 in modern English
Meaning
noun
An axe used by Native American warriors, originally made of stone, bone, or antler.
noun
A geometric construction consisting of a semicircle and two line segments that serves as a tool for trisecting an angle; so called from its resemblance to the American Indian axe.
noun
A field hockey shot style that involves a player turning their hockey stick upside-down and swinging it so that its inside edge will come into contact with the ball.
verb
To girdle or incise the trees around (an area of land) so as to claim ownership of it.
Transitive verb
noun
The BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM), a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile with stubby wings, which can be launched from a ship or submarine.
Example Sentences
- "yeerely bring into our store house, at the beginning of their haruest two bushels of corne a man […] for which they should receiue so many Iron Tomahawkes or small hatchets."
- "At first, her presence was not observed; but, no sooner did the stranger catch a glimpse of her person, than he stopped, raised his hands in surprise, laid his rifle against a tree, and sprang forward; the girl closing her eyes, and sinking on the seat, with bowed head, expecting the blow of the deadly tomahawk."
- "In a moment the savage wretches dashed at him, and "tomahawked" the unfortunate man, who fell backwards into his cabin."
- "Not satisfied with tomahawking our colleagues in the country, they ask the scanty remnant in the House to join in the scalp dance."
- "He was the owner of 1,300 acres of land bought from the government and located where the city of Lexington, Ky., now stands. After his marriage he tomahawked an area of 600 acres near Carmichaelstown, […]"
- "Meantime, Silas Zane passed on and came to the forks, and admiring the locality, he tomahawked his right to it, securing one thousand acres."
Etymology
Word Breakdown
- Root: tumahák
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk/
- British English: /ˈtɒm.ə.hɔːk/