Tomahawk

Origin

From an (most likely Powhatan) word. Compare Malecite-Passamaquoddy tomhikon ("ax"), Abenaki temahigan, demahigan ("ax").

Full definition of tomahawk

Noun

1. An ax/axe used by American Indian (First Nations) warriors.
• 1615, Ralph Hamor, A True Discourse of the Present State of Virginia (published in Richmond in 1957), page 13:yeerely bring into our store house, at the beginning of their haruest two bushels of corne a man ... for which they should receiue so many Iron Tomahawkes or small hatchets.
2. (basketball): A dunk in which the person dunking the ball does so with his arm behind his head.
3. (geometry) A geometric construction consisting of a semicircle and two line segments that serves as a tool for trisecting an angle; so called from its resemblance to the American Indian axe.
4. (field hockey) A field hockey shot style that involves a player turning their hockey stick upside-down and swinging it so that its inside edge will come into contact with the ball.

Derived terms

• blow tomahawks
• tomahawked
• tomahawk improvement
• tomahawk settler

Verb

1. To strike with a tomahawk.

Derived terms

• tomahawker
• tomahawking