What does "hatchet" mean?
Hatchet: Specifically, a tomahawk. Buried was the bloody hatchet. Longfellow. Hatchet face, a thin, sharp face, like the edge of a hatchet; hence: Hatchet-faced, sharp-visaged. Dryden. -- To bury the hatchet, to make peace or become reconciled. -- To take up the hatchet, to make or declare war. The last two phrases are derived from the practice of the American Indians.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00