blade

views updated May 18 2018

blade / blād/ • n. 1. the flat cutting edge of a knife, saw, or other tool or weapon. ∎ short for razor blade. ∎ poetic/lit. a sword.2. the flat, wide section of an implement or device such as an oar or a propeller. ∎  a thin, flat metal runner on an ice skate. ∎  a shoulder bone in a cut of meat, or the cut of meat itself. ∎  the flat part of the tongue behind the tip.3. a long, narrow leaf of grass or another similar plant: a blade of grass. ∎ Bot. the broad thin part of a leaf apart from the stalk.4. inf., dated a dashing or energetic young man.DERIVATIVES: blad·ed adj. [in comb.] double-bladed paddles.

blade

views updated May 18 2018

blade
A. leaf OE.; spathe of grass XIV.

B. broad flattened part of an implement OE.; thin cutting edge, sword XIV. OE. blæd, pl. bladu = OS. blad, OHG. blat (G. blatt), ON. blnað leaf, etc. :- Gmc. *blaðam, perh. pp. formation (IE. *-tos) on the base *biō- BLOW2. The present form derives from OE. obl. cases.

blade

views updated May 23 2018

blade.
1. Back or principal rafter.

2. Main element of a cruck truss.

blade

views updated May 08 2018

blade A term describing grain shape; bladed grains have ratios of less than 2:3 for both the intermediate: long diameter and the short: intermediate diameter. See PARTICLE SHAPE; and ZINGG SHAPE CLASSIFICATION.

blade

views updated May 23 2018

blade The thin, flat part of a leaf.