English

Alternative forms

• chesil
• chissel, chessil (dialectal)

Noun

chisel ‎(usually uncountable, plural chisels)

1. Gravel.
2. (chiefly in the plural) Coarse flour; bran; the coarser part of bran or flour.

Related terms

• chessom

A wood chisel

Etymology 2

From Old French cisel (French ciseau), from Vulgar Latin *cisellum, from Latin caesellum, from caesus, past participle of caedere ‎(“to cut”).

Noun

chisel ‎(plural chisels)

1. A cutting tool consisting of a slim oblong block of metal with a sharp wedge or bevel formed on one end. It may be provided with a handle at the other end. It is used to remove parts of stone, wood or metal by placing the sharp edge against the material to be cut and pushing or pounding the other end with a hammer, or mallet.

Translations

See also

• burin
• graver

Verb

chisel ‎(third-person singular simple present chisels, present participle chiseling or chiselling, simple past and past participle chiseled or chiselled)

1. (intransitive) To use a chisel.
2. (transitive) To work something with a chisel.

   She chiselled a sculpture out of the block of wood.

3. (intransitive, informal) To cheat, to get something by cheating.

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 on

Translations

Anagrams

• chiles
• liches

Old French

Noun

chisel 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)

1. Alternative form of cisel