billhook
3 synonyms for billhook, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — An agricultural hand tool whose curved, hooked blade is swung to cut through thick woody stems.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
pruning hook
hedging bill
How to use billhook
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
swing a billhook
sharpen a billhook
cut with a billhook
a billhook and a saw
It is a practical, workaday term used in gardening, farming and rural trades.
Etymology
Billhook joins bill, an old word for a bladed pike used as a weapon, with hook. The agricultural sense followed on from the weapon sense, and other later senses grew from further meanings of bill.
Full origin of billhook →Frequently asked questions
What is a billhook used for?
As a garden and farm tool it is used for pruning and cutting thick, woody plants such as hedges, and the same name also covers a hooked part in the knot-tying mechanism of a baler.
Where does the name billhook come from?
It combines bill, an old term for a bladed pike, with hook, reflecting the tool's curved, hooked blade.
Is a billhook the same as a machete?
No, a billhook typically has a shorter, more curved blade suited to hedging and pruning rather than the longer straight blade of a machete.
