saw

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of various tools, either hand-operated or power-driven, having a thin metal blade or disk with a sharp, usually toothed edge, used for cutting wood, metal, or other hard materials.
2. v. To cut or divide with a saw.
3. v. To produce or shape with a saw: sawed a hole in the board.
4. v. To make back-and-forth motions through or on: a speaker who saws the air with his arms.
5. v. To use a saw: sawing along the chalk line.
6. v. To undergo cutting with a saw: Pine wood saws easily.
7. n. A familiar saying, especially one that has become trite through repetition. See Synonyms at saying.
8. v. Past tense of see¹.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A cutting-tool consisting of a metal blade, band, or plate with the edge armed with cutting teeth, worked either by a reciprocating movement, as in a hand-saw, or by a continuous motion in one direction, as in a circular saw, a band-saw, and an annular saw. Saws are for the most part made of tempered steel. The teeth of the smaller kinds are formed by cutting or punching in the plate interdental spaces or gullets. In saws of large size inserted or removable teeth are now much used. Small saws are generally provided with a single handle of hard wood; larger saws, for use by two workmen, have a handle at each end. Reciprocating saws more generally have their teeth inclined toward the direction of their cutting-stroke (see rake, n., 1), but some cut in both directions equally. To cut freely, saws must have, for most purposes, what is called set—that is, alternate teeth must be made to project somewhat laterally and uniformly from opposite sides of the saw in order that the kerf or saw-cut may be somewhat wider than the thickness of the saw-blade. This prevents undue friction of the sides of the blade against the sides of the kerf. Some saws, however, as surgeons' saws, hack-saws, etc., have little or no set, and undue friction against the kerf is prevented by making the blades of gradually decreasing thickness from the edge toward the back.
2. n. A saw-blade together with the handles or frame to which the blade is attached, as a hand-saw, wood-saw, or hack-saw.
3. n. In zoology and comparative anatomy, a serrated formation or organ, or a serrated arrangement of parts of formations or organs. The set of teeth of a merganser, as Mergus serrator.
4. n. A sawing-machine, as a scroll-saw or jig-saw.
5. n. The act of sawing or see-sawing; specifically, in whist [U. S.], same as see-saw, 3 .
6. n. In surgery, a trephine.
7. n. Particularly, a saw used by lumbermen for cutting logs from tree-trunks, having an edge slightly convex in the cutting-plane, a handle at each end projecting from and at right angles with the back in the plane of the blade, and teeth filed so that the saw cuts when drawn in either direction. It is operated by two workmen, one at each handle.
8. n. (See also back-saw, band-saw, belt-saw, buzz-saw, center-saw, chain-saw, fret-saw, gang-saw, gig-saw, ice-saw, jig-saw, rabbet-saw, ring-saw, etc.)
9. To cut or divide with a saw; cut in pieces with a saw.
10. To form by cutting with a saw: as, to saw boards or planks (that is, to saw timber into boards or planks).
11. To cut or cleave as with the motion of a saw.
12. In bookbinding, to score or cut lightly through the folded edges of, as the gathered sections of a book, in four or five equidistant spaces. The stout bands which connect the book to its covers are sunk in the saw-track, and the sewing-thread which holds the leaves together is bound around these bands.
13. To use a saw; practise the use of a saw; cut with a saw.
14. To be cut with a saw: as, the timber saws smoothly.
15. n. A saying; speech; discourse; word.
16. n. A proverbial saying; maxim; proverb.
17. n. A tale; story; recital. Compare saga.
18. n. A decree.
19. n. Synonyms Axiom, Maxim, etc. See aphorism.
20. n. Preterit of see.
21. n. A Scotch form of salve.
22. n. A keyhole saw; a saw which has a very narrow, thin blade, so that it can turn comers.
23. n. A circular saw turning in a vertical plane or with its shaft horizontal.

Wiktionary

1. n. A tool with a toothed blade used for cutting hard substances, in particular wood or metal
2. n. A musical saw.
3. n. A sawtooth wave.
4. v. transitive To cut (something) with a saw.
5. v. intransitive To make a motion back and forth similar to cutting something with a saw.
6. v. intransitive To be cut with a saw.
7. n. obsolete Something spoken; speech, discourse.
8. n. A saying or proverb.
9. n. obsolete opinion, idea, belief; by thy ~, in your opinion; commune ~, common opinion; common knowledge; on no ~, by no means.
10. n. obsolete proposal, suggestion; possibility.
11. v. Simple past of see.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. imp. of see.
2. n. obsolete Something said; speech; discourse.
3. n. A saying; a proverb; a maxim.
4. n. obsolete Dictate; command; decree.
5. n. 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.
6. v. To cut with a saw; to separate with a saw.
7. v. To form by cutting with a saw.
8. v. Also used figuratively.
9. v. To use a saw; to practice sawing.
10. v. To cut, as a saw.
11. v. To be cut with a saw.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
2. v. cut with a saw
3. n. hand tool having a toothed blade for cutting
4. n. a power tool for cutting wood