from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Saw \Saw\, n. [OE. sawe, AS. sage; akin to D. zaag, G. s[aum]ge,
OHG. sega, saga, Dan. sav, Sw. s[*a]g, Icel. s["o]g, L.
secare to cut, securis ax, secula sickle. Cf. {Scythe},
{Sickle}, {Section}, {Sedge}.]
An instrument for cutting or dividing substances, as wood,
iron, etc., consisting of a thin blade, or plate, of steel,
with a series of sharp teeth on the edge, which remove
successive portions of the material by cutting and tearing.
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Note: Saw is frequently used adjectively, or as the first
part of a compound.
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{Band saw}, {Crosscut saw}, etc. See under {Band},
{Crosscut}, etc.
{Circular saw}, a disk of steel with saw teeth upon its
periphery, and revolved on an arbor.
{Saw bench}, a bench or table with a flat top for for sawing,
especially with a circular saw which projects above the
table.
{Saw file}, a three-cornered file, such as is used for
sharpening saw teeth.
{Saw frame}, the frame or sash in a sawmill, in which the
saw, or gang of saws, is held.
{Saw gate}, a saw frame.
{Saw gin}, the form of cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney, in
which the cotton fibers are drawn, by the teeth of a set
of revolving circular saws, through a wire grating which
is too fine for the seeds to pass.
{Saw grass} (Bot.), any one of certain cyperaceous plants
having the edges of the leaves set with minute sharp
teeth, especially the {Cladium Mariscus} of Europe, and
the {Cladium effusum} of the Southern United States. Cf.
{Razor grass}, under {Razor}.
{Saw log}, a log of suitable size for sawing into lumber.
{Saw mandrel}, a mandrel on which a circular saw is fastened
for running.
{Saw pit}, a pit over which timbor is sawed by two men, one
standing below the timber and the other above. --Mortimer.
{Saw sharpener} (Zool.), the great titmouse; -- so named from
its harsh call note. [Prov. Eng.]
{Saw whetter} (Zool.), the marsh titmouse ({Parus
palustris}); -- so named from its call note. [Prov. Eng.]
{Scroll saw}, a ribbon of steel with saw teeth upon one edge,
stretched in a frame and adapted for sawing curved
outlines; also, a machine in which such a saw is worked by
foot or power.
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from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Circular \Cir"cu*lar\, a. [L. circularis, fr. circulus circle:
cf. F. circulaire. See {Circle}.]
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1. In the form of, or bounded by, a circle; round.
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2. repeating itself; ending in itself; reverting to the point
of beginning; hence, illogical; inconclusive; as, circular
reasoning.
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3. Adhering to a fixed circle of legends; cyclic; hence,
mean; inferior. See {Cyclic poets}, under {Cyclic}.
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Had Virgil been a circular poet, and closely adhered
to history, how could the Romans have had Dido?
--Dennis.
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4. Addressed to a circle, or to a number of persons having a
common interest; circulated, or intended for circulation;
as, a circular letter.
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A proclamation of Henry III., . . . doubtless
circular throughout England. --Hallam.
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5. Perfect; complete. [Obs.]
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A man so absolute and circular
In all those wished-for rarities that may take
A virgin captive. --Massinger.
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{Circular are}, any portion of the circumference of a circle.
{Circular cubics} (Math.), curves of the third order which
are imagined to pass through the two circular points at
infinity.
{Circular functions}. (Math.) See under {Function}.
{Circular instruments}, mathematical instruments employed for
measuring angles, in which the graduation extends round
the whole circumference of a circle, or 360[deg].
{Circular lines}, straight lines pertaining to the circle, as
sines, tangents, secants, etc.
{Circular note}{ or Circular letter}.
(a) (Com.) See under {Credit}.
(b) (Diplomacy) A letter addressed in identical terms to a
number of persons.
{Circular numbers} (Arith.), those whose powers terminate in
the same digits as the roots themselves; as 5 and 6, whose
squares are 25 and 36. --Bailey. --Barlow.
{Circular points at infinity} (Geom.), two imaginary points
at infinite distance through which every circle in the
plane is, in the theory of curves, imagined to pass.
{Circular polarization}. (Min.) See under {Polarization}.
{Circular sailing} or {Globular sailing} (Naut.), the method
of sailing by the arc of a great circle.
{Circular saw}. See under {Saw}.
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