# chisel
## English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈt͡ʃɪzəl/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɪzəl

### Etymology 1

From Middle English chisel, chesel, from Old Northern French chisel, cisel, from cisoir (with a change in suffix), from Late Latin cīsōrium (“cutting tool”), from Latin caedō (“cut”). Doublet of scissors.

#### Noun

chisel (plural chisels)
* A cutting tool used to remove parts of stone, wood or metal by pushing or pounding the back when the sharp edge is against the material. It consists of a slim, oblong block of metal with a sharp wedge or bevel formed on one end and sometimes a handle at the other end.

##### Derived terms

* bog chisel
* butt chisel
* chisellike
* chiselmouth
* cold chisel
* cope chisel
* enchisel
* framing chisel
* hot chisel
* set chisel

##### See also

* burin
* gouge
* graver

#### Verb

chisel (third-person singular simple present chisels, present participle chiseling or chiselling, simple past and past participle chiseled or chiselled)
* (intransitive) To use a chisel.
* (transitive) To work something with a chisel.
    She chiselled a sculpture out of the block of wood.
* (transitive, dated) To barge in on (something); to intrude on (something).
* (transitive, intransitive, informal) To cheat; to obtain something from (someone) by cheating.
* (transitive, figurative) To make small changes to (something), resulting in change over time.
    Laws that protect the environment are being chiseled away.
* (transitive, dated) To beg or pressure somebody into giving up (something).
    He's managed to chisel a couple dollars from somewhere.
    She can always chisel whatever she needs from her father.

##### Usage notes

chiselling and chiselled are more common in the UK while chiseling and chiseled are more common in the US.

##### Derived terms

* chiseler, chiseller
* chisel in, chisel out, chisel up
* rechisel

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

From Middle English chisel, chesil, from Old English ċeosol, ċeosel, ċysel, ċisel, ċisil (“gravel, sand”), from Proto-West Germanic *kesul (“small stone, pebble”). See also chessom.

#### Alternative forms

* chesil
* chissel, chessil (dialectal)

#### Noun

chisel (usually uncountable, plural chisels)
* Gravel.
* (usually in the plural) Coarse flour; bran; the coarser part of bran or flour.

##### Related terms

* chessom

### Further reading

* “chisel”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
* “chisel”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
* “chisel”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

### Anagrams

* lechis, sichel, chesil, chiels, Chiles, Schiel, elchis, liches, chiles, Schlei

## Middle English
### Alternative forms

* chesel, chiseel, chesell, chisal, chesal

### Etymology

From Anglo-Norman chisel.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /t͡ʃiˈsɛːl/, /ˈt͡ʃisɛl/, /ˈt͡ʃeːsɛl/

### Noun

chisel (plural chisels)
* Any of several cutting tools used by stone masons.

#### Descendants

* English: chisel
* Yola: chisool

#### References

* “chisē̆l, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

## Old French
### Noun

chisel oblique singular, m (oblique plural chiseaus or chiseax or chisiaus or chisiax or chisels, nominative singular chiseaus or chiseax or chisiaus or chisiax or chisels, nominative plural chisel)
* (Old Northern French) Alternative form of cisel