Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

chamfer

play
verb cham·fer \ˈcham(p)-fər, ˈcham-pər\

Definition of chamfer

chamfered

;

chamfering

play \-f(ə-)riŋ, -p(ə-)riŋ\
  1. transitive verb

  2. 1 :  to cut a furrow in (something, such as a column) :  groove

  3. 2 :  to make a chamfer on :  bevel

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

alt-5924736949123
Does This Common Computer Term Actually Reference Shoes?
alt-59245a1009b19
Trending: Brennan: Concerns of Russian Efforts to 'suborn'
image1694077559
Which Is The Correct Plural Spelling? (It's a Trick Question)
peter-bruegel-tower-of-babel-painting
Where in the World? A Quiz

Origin and Etymology of chamfer

back-formation from chamfering, alteration of Medieval French chanfreint, from past participle of chanfraindre to bevel, from chant edge (from Latin canthus iron tire) + fraindre to break, from Latin frangere — more at cant, break


First Known Use: 1567

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

2

chamfer

noun cham·fer

Definition of chamfer

  1. :  a beveled edge

Circa 1847

First Known Use of chamfer

circa 1847

Other Handicraft Terms

biscuit, darn, tambour, wrought

Learn More about chamfer

  1. See words that rhyme with chamfer Britannica English: Translation of chamfer for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up chamfer? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

malleable

play

capable of being altered or controlled

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. suborn "to induce secretly to do an unlawful thing"

  2. nutjob 'a mentally unbalanced person'

  3. collusion 'Secret cooperation for an illegal or dishonest purpose'

  4. counsel Is it 'council' or 'counsel'?

  5. witch hunt Lookups spiked after Trump used the word in a tweet

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

chamfer

WORD GAMES

Take a 3-minute break and test your skills!

  • peter-bruegel-tower-of-babel-painting
  • What language does pajama come from?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Bee Cubed

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image1694077559
Plural Words With Multiple Spellings

Multiple spellings for "multiple" words.

alt-5924736949123
Does This Common Computer Term Actually Reference Shoes?

These reboots were made for walking

alt-592453dea3986
Read on to Become Part of the Dictionary 'Illuminati'

Secrets will be revealed.

alt-592333459542f
How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

"I bow to you"

Ask the Editors

decimate-video
Is it wrong to use 'decimate' to mean 'destroy'?

Language changes

serial-comma
The Serial Comma

Why don't they call it the Merriam-Webster comma?

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

peter-bruegel-tower-of-babel-painting
Where in the World? A Quiz

Do you know what languages these words come from?

Take the quiz
wide-eyed-dog-smelling-rose
What's that Smell?! Quiz

Words for odors and such...

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Bee Cubed
Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game