From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlathelathe /leɪð/ noun [countable] TICa machine that shapes wood or metal, by turning it around and around against a sharp tool
Examples from the Corpus
lathe• Murdoch had turned his hat on a lathe, thereby inventing a method of turning oval objects.• A piston destined to shuttle back and forth within a cylinder will be made on a lathe.• It was Bert's private workshop, complete with a lathe and other skilled men's paraphernalia.• And it comes first for one simple reason: civilization rolls on wheels, and lathes make wheels.• It was not a retrofit, though it was more of an adaptation of a copying lathe than an original design.• Swarf from lathes lay thick on the floor below.• Holly worked on alone at the lathe that fashioned the chairs' legs.Origin lathe (1600-1700) Probably from lath “supporting frame” ((14-15 centuries)), perhaps from Danish lad 