Main Entry:

hew

Pronunciation:

\ˈhyü\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

hewed; hewed or hewn \ˈhyün\ ; hew·ing

Etymology:

Middle English, from Old English hēawan; akin to Old High German houwan to hew, Lithuanian kauti to forge, Latin cudere to beat

Date:

before 12th century

transitive verb 1 : to cut with blows of a heavy cutting instrument 2 : to fell by blows of an ax <hew a tree> 3 : to give form or shape to with or as if with heavy cutting blows <hewed their farms from the wilderness — J. T. Shotwell> intransitive verb 1 : to make cutting blows 2 : conform, adhere <hew to tradition> —often used in the phrase hew to the line<no pressure…on newspapers to hew to the official line — New York Times Magazine>

— hew·er noun