hatchet

[ hach-it ]
/ ˈhætʃ ɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR hatchet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small, short-handled ax having the end of the head opposite the blade in the form of a hammer, made to be used with one hand.
a tomahawk.
hatchetfish.

verb (used with object)

to cut, destroy, kill, etc., with a hatchet.
to abridge, delete, excise, etc.: The network censor may hatchet 30 minutes from the script.

Idioms for hatchet

    bury the hatchet, to become reconciled or reunited; make peace.
    take up the hatchet, to begin or resume hostilities; prepare for or go to war: The natives are taking up the hatchet against the enemy.

Origin of hatchet

1300–50; 1670–80, Americanism for def 6; Middle English hachet < Middle French hachette, diminutive (see -et) of hache ax < Frankish *hapja kind of knife; akin to Greek kóptein to cut (cf. comma, syncope)

OTHER WORDS FROM hatchet

hatch·et·like, adjective

Words nearby hatchet

hatch boat, hatchback, hatcheck, hatchel, hatchery, hatchet, hatchet face, hatchet job, hatchet man, hatchetfish, hatchettite

Definition for bury the hatchet (2 of 2)

bury
[ ber-ee ]
/ ˈbɛr i /

verb (used with object), bur·ied, bur·y·ing.

noun, plural bur·ies.

Nautical. housing1(def 8a, b).

Origin of bury

before 1000; Middle English berien, buryen, Old English byrgan to bury, conceal; akin to Old English beorgan to hide, protect, preserve; cognate with Dutch, German bergen, Gothic bairgan, Old Norse bjarga

OTHER WORDS FROM bury

half-bur·ied, adjective re·bur·y, verb (used with object), re·bur·ied, re·bur·y·ing. un·bur·ied, adjective well-bur·ied, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bury

Barry berry bury

Words related to bury the hatchet

forget, forgive

British Dictionary definitions for bury the hatchet (1 of 3)

Bury
/ (ˈbɛrɪ) /

noun

a town in NW England, in Bury unitary authority, Greater Manchester: an early textile centre. Pop: 60 178 (2001)
a unitary authority in NW England, in Greater Manchester. Pop: 181 900 (2003 est). Area: 99 sq km (38 sq miles)

British Dictionary definitions for bury the hatchet (2 of 3)

bury
/ (ˈbɛrɪ) /

verb buries, burying or buried (tr)

Word Origin for bury

Old English byrgan to bury, hide; related to Old Norse bjarga to save, preserve, Old English beorgan to defend

British Dictionary definitions for bury the hatchet (3 of 3)

hatchet
/ (ˈhætʃɪt) /

noun

a short axe used for chopping wood, etc
a tomahawk
(modifier) of narrow dimensions and sharp features a hatchet face
bury the hatchet to cease hostilities and become reconciled

Derived forms of hatchet

hatchet-like, adjective

Word Origin for hatchet

C14: from Old French hachette, from hache axe, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German happa knife

Cultural definitions for bury the hatchet

bury the hatchet

To agree to end a quarrel: “Jerry and Cindy had been avoiding each other since the divorce, but I saw them together this morning, so they must have buried the hatchet.”

Idioms and Phrases with bury the hatchet (1 of 2)

bury the hatchet

Make peace; settle one's differences. For example, Toward the end of the year, the roommates finally decided to bury the hatchet. Although some believe this term comes from a Native American custom for declaring peace between warring tribes, others say it comes from hang up one's hatchet, a term dating from the early 1300s (well before Columbus landed in the New World). The word bury replaced hang up in the 1700s.

Idioms and Phrases with bury the hatchet (2 of 2)

hatchet