Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Saw
1.
Something said; speech; discourse.
[Obs.]
“To hearken all his sawe.” Chaucer.
2.
A saying; a proverb; a maxim.
His champions are the prophets and apostles,
His weapons holy
His weapons holy
saws
of sacred writ. Shakespeare
3.
Dictate; command; decree.
[Obs.]
[Love] rules the creatures by his powerful
saw
. Spenser.
Saw
,Noun.
[OE.
sawe
, AS. sage
; akin to D. zaag
, G. säge
, OHG. sega
, saga
, Dan. sav
, Sw. såg
, Icel. sög
, L. secare
to cut, securis
ax, secula
sickle. Cf. Scythe
, Sickle
, Section
, Sedge
.] An instrument for cutting or dividing substances, as wood, iron, etc., consisting of a thin blade, or plate, of steel, with a series of sharp teeth on the edge, which remove successive portions of the material by cutting and tearing.
☞ Saw is frequently used adjectively, or as the first part of a compound.
Band saw
, Crosscut saw
, etc. Circular saw
, a disk of steel with saw teeth upon its periphery, and revolved on an arbor.
– Saw bench
, a bench or table with a flat top for for sawing, especially with a circular saw which projects above the table.
– Saw file
, a three-cornered file, such as is used for sharpening saw teeth.
– Saw frame
, the frame or sash in a sawmill, in which the saw, or gang of saws, is held.
– Saw gate
, a saw frame.
– Saw gin
, the form of cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney, in which the cotton fibers are drawn, by the teeth of a set of revolving circular saws, through a wire grating which is too fine for the seeds to pass.
– Saw grass
(Bot.)
, any one of certain cyperaceous plants having the edges of the leaves set with minute sharp teeth, especially the
– Cladium Mariscus
of Europe, and the Cladium effusum
of the Southern United States. Cf. Razor grass
, under Razor
. Saw log
, a log of suitable size for sawing into lumber.
– Saw mandrel
, a mandrel on which a circular saw is fastened for running.
– Saw pit
, a pit over which timbor is sawed by two men, one standing below the timber and the other above.
Mortimer.
– Saw sharpener
(Zool.)
, the great titmouse; – so named from its harsh call note.
[Prov. Eng.]
– Saw whetter
(Zool.)
, the marsh titmouse (
Parus palustris
); – so named from its call note. [Prov. Eng.]
– Scroll saw
, a ribbon of steel with saw teeth upon one edge, stretched in a frame and adapted for sawing curved outlines; also, a machine in which such a saw is worked by foot or power.
Saw
,Verb.
T.
[
imp.
Sawed
; p. p.
Sawed
or Sawn
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Sawing
.] 1.
To cut with a saw; to separate with a saw;
as, to
. saw
timber or marble2.
To form by cutting with a saw;
as, to
. saw
boards or planks, that is, to saw logs or timber into boards or planks; to saw
shingles; to saw
out a panel3.
Also used figuratively;
as, to
. saw
the airSaw
,Verb.
I.
1.
To use a saw; to practice sawing;
as, a man
. saws
well2.
To cut, as a saw;
as, the saw or mill
. saws
fast3.
To be cut with a saw;
as, the timber
. saws
smoothlyWebster 1828 Edition
Saw
SAW
, pret. of see.SAW
,Noun.
1.
A cutting instrument consisting of a blade or thin plate of iron or steel, with one edge dentated or toothed.2.
A saying; proverb; maxim; decree. Obs. [See Say.]SAW
,Verb.
T.
1.
To cut with a saw; to separate with a saw; as, to saw timber or marble.2.
To form by cutting with a saw; as, to saw boards or planks, that is, to saw timber into boards or planks.SAW
, v.i.1.
To use a saw; to practice sawing; as, a man saws well.2.
To cut with a saw; as, the mill saws fast or well.3.
To be cut with a saw; as, the timber saws smooth.