Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bury the hatchet

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.02 in modern English

Syllables
bury the hatch-et
IPA
30
Scrabble Score
14
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To cease fighting or arguing; to reach an agreement, or at least a truce.

verb

To accidentally leave a surgical instrument inside the patient after an operation.

Humorous; Slang

Example Sentences

Etymology

The phrase is an allusion to the figurative or literal practice of putting away the tomahawk at the cessation of hostilities among or by Native Americans in the Eastern United States, specifically during the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy, and in Iroquois custom in general. Weapons were to be buried or otherwise cached in time of peace.

Usage

Inflected Forms

buries the hatchet (present, singular) burying the hatchet (participle, present) buried the hatchet (participle, past) buried the hatchet (past)

Phrases

peace pipe

Frequently Paired Words

peace pipe

Antonyms

take up the hatchet

Questions

What does bury the hatchet mean?
To cease fighting or arguing; to reach an agreement, or at least a truce.
Where does bury the hatchet come from?
The phrase is an allusion to the figurative or literal practice of putting away the tomahawk at the cessation of hostilities among or by Native Americans in the Eastern United States, specifically during the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy, and in Iroquois custom in general. Weapons were to be buried or otherwise cached in time of peace.

How to pronounce bury the hatchet

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