mattock

mattock
/mat"euhk/, n.
an instrument for loosening the soil in digging, shaped like a pickax, but having one end broad instead of pointed.
[bef. 900; ME mattok, OE mattuc]

* * *

Picklike digging implement, one of the oldest tools of agriculture.

It resembles the modern hoe but with a stone or wooden blade rather than a metal one, set at right angles to a long wooden handle. Though large-scale agriculture uses plows, harrows, and rotary hoes that open many rows of a field simultaneously, home gardeners and horticulturists may still use mattocks to loosen dirt and to chop weeds.

* * *

      digging implement, one of the oldest tools of agriculture. See hoe.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mattock — Mat tock, n. [AS. mattuc; cf. W. matog.] An implement for digging and grubbing. The head has two long steel blades, one like an adz and the other like a narrow ax or the point of a pickax. [1913 Webster] T is you must dig with mattock and with… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mattock — (n.) O.E. mættoc, probably from V.L. *matteuca club, related to L. mateola, a kind of mallet (see MACE (Cf. mace) (n.1)), but this is not certain, and synonymous Rus. motyka, Lith. matikkas suggest other possibilities. OED says similar words in… …   Etymology dictionary

  • mattock — ► NOUN ▪ an agricultural tool similar to a pickaxe, but with one arm of the head curved like an adze and the other like a chisel edge. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • mattock — [mat′ək] n. [ME mattok < OE mattuc < VL * mattiuca < * mattea, back form. < L mateola, dim. < * matea < IE base * mat , hoe, club > Sans matyá , a harrow] a tool for loosening the soil, digging up and cutting roots, etc.: it… …   English World dictionary

  • Mattock — A cutter mattock, embedded in a lawn A mattock is a versatile hand tool, used for digging and chopping, similar to the pickaxe. It has a long handle, and a stout head, which combines an axe blade and an adze (cutter mattock) or a pick and an adze …   Wikipedia

  • Mattock — This is a surname of pre7th century Breton, Welsh and Olde English origins. There are at least thirteen modern surname spellings including Maddocks, Maddicks, Mattacks Mattock, Muttock, Mattick and Mattuck. In all cases and spellings the origins… …   Surnames reference

  • Mattock (surname) — Mattock is a surname which may refer to: Joe Mattock (born 1990), English footballer Jon Mattock, English musician Lilly Mattock, fictional soap character This page or section lists people with the surname Mattock. If an …   Wikipedia

  • mattock — noun Etymology: Middle English mattok, from Old English mattuc Date: before 12th century a digging and grubbing tool with features of an adze and an ax or pick …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • mattock — noun An agricultural tool whose blades are at right angles to the body; similar in appearance to a pickax …   Wiktionary

  • Mattock —    1) Heb. ma eder, an instrument for dressing or pruning a vineyard (Isa. 7:25); a weeding hoe.    2) Heb. mahareshah (1 Sam. 13:1), perhaps the ploughshare or coulter.    3) Heb. herebh, marg. of text (2 Chr. 34:6). Authorized Version, with… …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”