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

“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

Many drain cleaning jobs involve either snakes or long augers that slide down into the pipes and tear up or pull out debris.

From Seattle Times

For those inclined to believe that these childish provocations auger the end of the republic, please consider life in Congress in the decades before the Civil War.

From Seattle Times

If you have no luck, then call in the pros who have power drain augers.

From Seattle Times