From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishchiselchis‧el1 /ˈtʃɪzəl/ noun [countable] TZa metal tool with a sharp edge, used to cut wood or stone
Examples from the Corpus
chisel• From the hardware drawer in the kitchen I equipped myself with a hammer, a chisel, and a mean-looking screwdriver.• She set it on the bench and raised hammer and chisel.• The saws and planes and chisels and hammers were abandoned.• Carvers' chisels differ from carpentry chisels in the way they are sharpened.• Lorton put the box on the kitchen table and attacked the lock with an old chisel.• Giving him a foolish little wave, she decided she'd better return the chisel before she forgot all about it.• Returning the chisel to the bench, she turned to leave and came face to face with Leo's sister.chiselchisel2 verb (chiselled, chiselling British English, chiseled, chiseling American English) [transitive] AVSto use a chisel to cut wood or stone into a particular shapechisel something into/from/in etc something Martin chiselled a hole in the door for the new lock.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
chisel• He stopped chiselling and looked down at her.• The best way to find out how they were attached is to chisel away a little plaster next to the rail.• And every waking hour she chipped at the ugly block, sanded, scored, chiselled, gouged gaping eye sockets.• Some of the boats chiselled into the rocks are fairly simple.• Woodpeckers, accustomed to chiselling their food out of timber, have little difficulty in cutting out nest chambers in tree trunks.Origin chisel1 (1300-1400) Old North French probably from chisoir, from Vulgar Latin caesorium “cutting tool”, from Latin caedere “to cut” 