mattock
/ˈmætək/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmætək/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈma-tək/ (ame, mw)
mattock — noun
1. a farming or gardening tool with a long wooden handle and a metal head that has
a farming or gardening tool with a long wooden handle and a metal head that has a flat blade on one side and a pointed or chisel-shaped end on the other, used for breaking up hard soil or cutting through roots
Ana used a mattock to break up the dry, rocky soil in her vegetable garden.
mattock + to break up [material] for breaking hard ground
The old farmer pulled a thick root from the ground with his mattock.
Dmitri swung the mattock hard, splitting the stubborn tree stump into two pieces.
We borrowed a mattock from the neighbor to clear the overgrown orchard path.
Hassan sharpened the blade of his mattock before starting the morning's work.
- pickaxe
has a pointed end on both sides of the head, unlike a mattock which has one flat blade and one pointed end
- grub hoe
another name for the same tool, used mainly in American English
- adze
a cutting tool with a curved blade set at a right angle to the handle, used for shaping wood rather than digging
用法筆記
A mattock is heavier and more robust than a common hoe, designed for tough ground and root cutting rather than light weeding. In American English it is sometimes called a 'grub hoe'.