auger

[ aw-ger ]

noun

1. Carpentry.
   1. a bit, as for a brace.
   2. a boring tool, similar to but larger than a gimlet, consisting of a bit rotated by a transverse handle.
2. earth auger.
3. a device consisting of a shaft with a broad helical flange rotating within a cylindrical casing to force bulk materials from one end to the other.
4. snake ( def 3a ).

auger

/ ˈɔːɡə /

noun

1. a hand tool with a bit shaped like a corkscrew, for boring holes in wood
2. a larger tool of the same kind for boring holes in the ground

Word History and Origins

Origin of auger¹

before 900; Middle English nauger ( a nauger misdivided as an auger; adder ¹, apron ), Old English nafogār nave-piercer (cognate with Old Norse nafarr, Old Saxon nabugēr, Middle Dutch navegeer, Old High German nabagēr ), equivalent to nafa nave + gār spear; gore ³, garlic

Word History and Origins

Origin of auger¹

C15 an augur, resulting from mistaken division of earlier a nauger, from Old English nafugār nave (of a wheel) spear (that is, tool for boring hubs of wheels), from nafu nave ² + gār spear; see gore ²

Example Sentences

"With a persistent inflammatory stimulus, the drop-off in itaconate production is an issue because there is then no immune 'brake' even though the immune system is still running on all cylinders, eventually contributing to chronic inflammation," explains Dr. Jean-Philippe Auger, a scientist at the Department of Medicine 3 -- Rheumatology and Immunology at Uniklinikum Erlangen and the first author of the study.

From Science Daily

“I think I’m the only artistic director in the country wielding an ice auger,” she said of a tool resembling a giant corkscrew.

From New York Times

In both sun and rain, he repeatedly bores into the ground with a hand-held auger to gauge the quality of the soil, feeling, smelling and all but tasting the dirt.

From New York Times

With every twist of the auger, he steadily underscores his will.

From New York Times

Cheryl Auger, who runs My Zero Waste store in Pasadena — a shop designed to enable consumers to buy products without plastic packaging — suggests we all take a page from Scroogenomics — a book and philosophy written by Joel Waldfogel, an economist at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management — which touts reducing, or stopping, the over-consumptive nature of Christmas gifts, food and waste.

From Los Angeles Times