pickax
noun
Simple meaning
A heavy iron tool with a wooden handle and a curved head that is pointed on both ends.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pikaksSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɪkæks
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
US
A heavy iron tool with a wooden handle and a curved head that is pointed on both ends
“They used picks and sledges to break the rocks.”
us
A heavy iron tool with a wooden handle; one end of the head is pointed, the other has a chisel edge.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
This meaning: A heavy iron tool with a wooden handle and a curved head that is pointed on both ends
Used this way, pickax is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- pickaxe , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: heavy iron tool with a wooden handle and a curved head that is pointed on both ends
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.