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Definition of "lathe" []

  • A machine for shaping a piece of material, such as wood or metal, by rotating it rapidly along its axis while pressing a fixed cutting or abrading tool against it. (noun)
  • To cut or shape on a lathe. (verb-transitive)

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 "lathe" in a sentence
  • "This casting is then placed in an instrument called a _portrait lathe_ (of which we have a very perfect one at the Mint, which I caused to be made at Paris), and reduced fac-similes of it are turned by the lathe, thus preparing for us the dies which we need."
  • "Both can earn more money than each can earn separately, and the skilled man who formerly worked the second lathe is released."
  • "The lathe is a circular vise that can hold a drill bit or a blade and rotates at a high rate of speed, Mr. Riggs said."