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verb

hew

Hew (verb) means to chop away at; to whittle down; to mow down.

verb
1
To chop away at; to whittle down; to mow down.
2
To shape; to form.
3
To act according to, to conform to; usually construed with to.
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Etymology

From Middle English hewen, from Old English hēawan, from Proto-West Germanic *hauwan, from Proto-Germanic *hawwaną, from Proto-Indo-European *kewh₂- (“to strike, hew, forge”). Cognate to West Frisian houwe (“to hew”), Cimbrian hauan (“to dig”), Dutch houwen (“to hew”), German hauen (“to hew”), Luxembourgish haen (“to chop”), Danish hugge (“to hew”), Faroese høgga (“to hew”), Icelandic höggva (“to hew”), Norwegian Bokmål hogge, hugge (“to hew”), Norwegian Nynorsk hogga (“to hew”), Swedish hugga (“to hew”). Sense 3 derives from the phrase hew to the line (literally “cut evenly with an axe or saw”).

Rhymes for hew

See all rhymes for hew →

Frequently asked questions

What is the meaning of hew?

"hew" (verb) means to chop away at; to whittle down; to mow down.

What are the different meanings of hew?

"hew" has 3 main meanings: 1. To chop away at; to whittle down; to mow down; 2. To shape; to form; 3. To act according to, to conform to; usually construed with to.

Definitions from wiktionary, CC BY-SA · etymology from Wiktionary