tomahawk — English Dictionary

Noun

1. An axe used by Native American warriors, originally made of stone, bone, or antler.

   Synonyms

   hatchet

   Examples

   More examples (2)

   yeerely bring into our store house, at the beginning of their haruest two bushels of corne a man […] for which they should receiue so many Iron Tomahawkes or small hatchets.

   At first, her presence was not observed; but, no sooner did the stranger catch a glimpse of her person, than he stopped, raised his hands in surprise, laid his rifle against a tree, and sprang forward; the girl closing her eyes, and sinking on the seat, with bowed head, expecting the blow of the deadly tomahawk.

2. A dunk performed with one's arm behind one's head.

3. A geometric construction consisting of a semicircle and two line segments that serves as a tool for trisecting an angle; so called from its resemblance to the American Indian axe.

4. A field hockey shot style that involves a player turning their hockey stick upside-down and swinging it so that its inside edge will come into contact with the ball.

Verb

1. To strike or cut up with a tomahawk.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   In a moment the savage wretches dashed at him, and "tomahawked" the unfortunate man, who fell backwards into his cabin.

   Not satisfied with tomahawking our colleagues in the country, they ask the scanty remnant in the House to join in the scalp dance.

2. To girdle or incise the trees around (an area of land) so as to claim ownership of it.

   Usage

   • Historical
   • Transitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   He was the owner of 1,300 acres of land bought from the government and located where the city of Lexington, Ky., now stands. After his marriage he tomahawked an area of 600 acres near Carmichaelstown, […]

   Meantime, Silas Zane passed on and came to the forks, and admiring the locality, he tomahawked his right to it, securing one thousand acres.

   More examples (2)

   The Germans thought that by just tomahawking a claim and living on it, it was an "improvement" and that was sufficient for claim; but not so with the Land Office. The land had to be legally registered and taxes paid on it […]

   They tomahawked the land they settled on and were joined by other settlers. Each settler picked out the piece of land that he or, in some instances, she desired which resulted in oddly shaped plats when they were later surveyed.

3. To perform a tomahawk dunk.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   When the league held its first slam-dunk contest in 1984 in Denver, Nance, then a Phoenix Sun, soared into the rafters with a basketball in each hand and tomahawked each one through the net before floating back to earth […]

Noun

1. weapon consisting of a fighting ax; used by North American Indians

   Synonyms

   hatchet

   Broader terms

   weaponarmweapon system

Verb

1. cut with a tomahawk

   Broader terms

   cut

2. kill with a tomahawk

   Broader terms

   kill