multi-tool

tool

[tool]
noun
1.
an implement, especially one held in the hand, as a hammer, saw, or file, for performing or facilitating mechanical operations.
2.
any instrument of manual operation.
3.
the cutting or machining part of a lathe, planer, drill, or similar machine.
4.
the machine itself; a machine tool.
5.
anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose: Education is a tool for success.
6.
a person manipulated by another for the latter's own ends; cat's-paw.
7.
the design or ornament impressed upon the cover of a book.
8.
Underworld Slang.
a.
a pistol or gun.
b.
a pickpocket.
9.
Slang: Vulgar. penis.
verb (used with object)
10.
to work or shape with a tool.
11.
to work decoratively with a hand tool.
12.
to ornament (the cover of a book) with a bookbinder's tool.
13.
to drive (a vehicle): He tooled the car along the treacherous path.
14.
to equip with tools or machinery.
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an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
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verb (used without object)
15.
to work with a tool.
16.
to drive or ride in a vehicle: tooling along the freeway.
Verb phrases
17.
tool up, to install machinery designed for performing a particular job: manufacturers tooling up for production.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English tōl; cognate with Old Norse tōl tools; akin to taw2

Related forms
tool·er, noun
tool·less, adjective
mul·ti·tool, noun
un·tooled, adjective

Synonyms
1. T ool , implement , instrument , utensil refer to contrivances for doing work. A tool is a contrivance held in and worked by the hand, for assisting the work of (especially) mechanics or laborers: a carpenter's tools. An implement is any tool or contrivance designed or used for a particular purpose: agricultural implements. An instrument is anything used in doing a certain work or producing a certain result, especially such as requires delicacy, accuracy, or precision: surgical or musical instruments. A utensil is especially an article for domestic use: kitchen utensils. When used figuratively of human agency, tool is generally used in a contemptuous sense; instrument , in a neutral or good sense: a tool of unscrupulous men; an instrument of Providence.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
tool (tuːl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a.  an implement, such as a hammer, saw, or spade, that is used by hand
 b.  a power-driven instrument; machine tool
 c.  (in combination): a toolkit
2.  the cutting part of such an instrument
3.  a.  any of the instruments used by a bookbinder to impress a design on a book cover
 b.  a design so impressed
4.  anything used as a means of performing an operation or achieving an end: he used his boss's absence as a tool for gaining influence
5.  a person used to perform dishonourable or unpleasant tasks for another
6.  a necessary medium for or adjunct to one's profession: numbers are the tools of the mathematician's trade
7.  slang another word for penis
8.  (Brit) an underworld slang word for gun
 
—vb (often foll by up) (when intr, often foll by along)
9.  to work, cut, shape, or form (something) with a tool or tools
10.  (tr) to decorate (a book cover) with a bookbinder's tool
11.  to furnish with tools
12.  to drive (a vehicle) or (of a vehicle) to be driven, esp in a leisurely or casual style
 
[Old English tōl; related to Old Norse tōl weapon, Old English tawian to prepare; see taw²]
 
'tooler
 
—n
 
'tool-less
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

tool
O.E. tol "instrument, implement," from P.Gmc. *tolan (cf. O.N. tol), from a verb stem represented by O.E. tawian "prepare." The ending is the instrumental suffix -l (e.g. shovel). Fig. sense of "person used by another for his own ends" is recorded from 1663. Slang meaning
"penis" first recorded 1553. The verb "to drive a vehicle" is first attested 1812, probably from the noun. The meaning "to work or shape with a tool" is recorded from 1815; that of "equip (a factory) with machine tools" is from 1927. Tool-box first recorded 1832.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

tool definition


  1. n.
    an earnest student. (See also power tool.) : Of course he's a tool. See the plastic liner in his pocket?
  2. n.
    a dupe; someone who can be victimized easily. : They were looking for some tool to drive the getaway car.
  3. in.
    to speed along (in a car). (See also tool around.) : We were tooling along at about seventy-five when the cop spotted us.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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