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Definition of "kerf" []

  • A groove or notch made by a cutting tool, such as a saw or an ax. (noun)
  • The width of a groove made by a cutting tool. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "kerf" in a sentence
  • "The new study found that the "kerf" - which is the amount of germanium wasted during the slicing process - was 22 percent less when a 75-micron diameter electrified wire was used to cut the wafers, compared with the conventional wire saw method."
  • "Raymond used it, -- for he said that he had bent the teeth out so as to make the saw cut a good wide kerf, and so he might have supposed that the kerf was the cut in the wood which a saw makes in going in."
  • "Its efficiency depends upon (1) the narrowness of the saw cut or "kerf," and (2) upon the force required to drive it thru the material."