tomahawk

[ tom-uh-hawk ]

noun

1. a light ax used by the North American Indians as a weapon and tool.
2. any of various similar weapons or implements.
3. (in Australia) a stone hatchet used by Aboriginal peoples.

verb (used with object)

1. to attack, wound, or kill with or as if with a tomahawk.

tomahawk

/ ˈtɒməˌhɔːk /

noun

1. a fighting axe, with a stone or later an iron head, used by the North American Indians
2. the usual word for hatchet

Other Words From

• toma·hawker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tomahawk¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from Virginia Algonquian ( English spelling) tamahaac “hatchet,” equivalent to Proto-Algonquian temah- “to cut (it) off” (unattested ) + -a·kan- “instrument for” (unattested)

Word History and Origins

Origin of tomahawk¹

C17: from Virginia Algonquian tamahaac

Example Sentences

Love had the exclamation point to the final home game revelry with a tomahawk dunk that put the Wildcats up 94-67.

From Seattle Times

Since 2005, a Kansas City group called Not In Our Honor has protested the team name and its assortment of offensive accoutrements, including the tomahawk chop gesture and chant, face paint and fake headdresses.

From Seattle Times

The team’s name and arrowhead logo remain, as does the “tomahawk chop,” in which fans chant and swing a forearm up and down in a ritual that is not unique to the Chiefs.

From Seattle Times

The youngest of the popular 1950s singing group The Ames Brothers, he became a successful TV and musical theater actor and performed a memorable tomahawk throw on “The Tonight Show.”

From Seattle Times

“They are all Noles, and they are big-time fans, and they do the tomahawk chop and they were not happy on Sunday when Florida State was left out,” Mr. DeSantis said.

From Washington Times

Related Words

• machete