a piece of hard material with two principal faces meeting in a sharply acute angle, for raising, holding, or splitting objects by applying a pounding or driving force, as from a hammer. Compare machine(def. 3b).
2.
a piece of anything of like shape: a wedge of pie.
3.
a cuneiform character or stroke of this shape.
4.
Meteorology. (formerly) an elongated area of relatively high pressure.
5.
something that serves to part, split, divide, etc.: The quarrel drove a wedge into the party organization.
O.E. wecg "a wedge," from P.Gmc. *wagjaz (cf. O.N. veggr, M.Du. wegge, Du. wig, O.H.G. weggi "wedge," Ger. Weck "wedge-shaped bread roll"), of unknown origin. The verb is recorded from 1440. Wedgie in the underwear prank sense is attested by 1970s. Wedge issue is attested from 1999.