Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A heavy, long-handled hammer used especially to drive stakes, piles, or wedges.
  • noun A heavy hammer having a wedge-shaped head and used for splitting logs.
  • noun A play in Rugby in which a mass of players gathers around a ball carrier being tackled and attempts to gain possession of the ball when it is released.
  • noun The mass of players during such a play.
  • transitive verb To injure or mutilate, as by scratching or beating: synonym: mangle.
  • transitive verb To defeat handily.
  • transitive verb To handle or treat roughly, causing damage.
  • transitive verb To split (wood) with a maul and wedge.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A heavy wooden hammer or mallet; a kind of beetle; a mall.
  • noun A moth.
  • noun The common mallow of Great Britain, Malva sylvestris.
  • To beat and bruise with a maul, or as if with, a maul; disfigure by beating.
  • To do injury to, especially gross injury, in any way.
  • To split with wedges and a maul or mallet.
  • noun Specifically In well-boring, a heavy block of wood used like the ram of a pile-driver to drive pipe into the ground for water or preliminary to boring in the rock below.
  • noun Same as mold, n.
  • noun Clayey, sticky soil.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A heavy wooden hammer or beetle.
  • transitive verb To beat and bruise with a heavy stick or cudgel; to wound in a coarse manner.
  • transitive verb To injure greatly; to do much harm to.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A heavy long-handled hammer, used for splitting logs by driving a wedge into it, or in combat.
  • noun rugby A situation where the player carrying the ball, who must be on his feet, is held by one or more opponents, and one or more of the ball carrier's team mates bind onto the ball carrier.
  • verb To handle someone or something in a rough way.
  • verb To savage; to cause serious physical wounds (usually by an animal).
  • verb figuratively To criticise harshly.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a heavy long-handled hammer used to drive stakes or wedges
  • verb split (wood) with a maul and wedges
  • verb injure badly by beating

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English malle, from Old French mail, from Latin malleus; see melə- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Middle English malle ("mace, maul"), from Anglo-Norman mail, from Old French mail, from Latin malleus ("hammer")

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Examples

  • "It's no secret our maul was a good weapon for us last year but going through a Premiership season just kicking and mauling is not necessarily possible," Hayes said.

    Exeter prepare for Welford Road after riding wind against Gloucester Robert Kitson at Sandy Park 2010

  • The defense can stop the player with the ball either by tackling him to the ground or by holding the ball-carrier on his feet (called a maul).

    Investment Manager Tackles 2008

  • He was instrumental in stopping their maul, which is one of their main weapons.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011

  • Newly reappointed forwards coach Steve Hansen brushed off suggestions that the maul was another area where the South Africans were setting the agenda but did agree it was something his men had to get up to speed on.

    Stuff.co.nz - Stuff By MARC HINTON 2010

  • "I do share the concern that the maul is a forgotten art in New Zealand rugby," said Henry.

    Stuff.co.nz - Stuff By MARC HINTON 2010

  • Newly reappointed forwards coach Steve Hansen brushed off suggestions that the maul was another area where the South Africans were setting the agenda but did agree it was something his men had to get up to speed on.

    Stuff.co.nz - Stuff By MARC HINTON 2010

  • "I do share the concern that the maul is a forgotten art in New Zealand rugby," said Henry.

    Stuff.co.nz - Stuff By MARC HINTON 2010

  • Authorities say the elder Lane was killed in his rural Bethalto home after being hit on the head with the maul, which is a heavy wedge attached to a long handle.

    KSDK.com NBC-St. Louis Education 2010

  • "I do share the concern that the maul is a forgotten art in New Zealand rugby," said Henry.

    Stuff.co.nz - Stuff By MARC HINTON 2010

  • Newly reappointed forwards coach Steve Hansen brushed off suggestions that the maul was another area where the South Africans were setting the agenda but did agree it was something his men had to get up to speed on.

    Stuff.co.nz - Stuff By MARC HINTON 2010

Comments

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  • A wooden club used with a froe to split wood.

    November 20, 2007

  • ... Sheep maul

    beyond recognition alarmingly quickly

    the sandwich-paper memorials left

    by charabanc-trippers...

    - Peter Reading, Plague Graves, from For the Municipality's Elderly, 1974

    June 22, 2008

  • Let's go to the maul!

    October 17, 2008