# pickaxe

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɪkˌæks/ · frequency rank #63,139

## Definitions
1. A heavy iron tool with a wooden handle; one end of the head is pointed, the other has a chisel edge.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English pykeaxe, pecaxe, pyke exe (“pickaxe”), an alteration (due to folk etymology association with pick and axe) of Middle English pikeyse, pikeys, pykois, from Anglo-Norman *pikeis, Old French picois, pecois, from Latin picōsa (“pickaxe”), from picca, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *pīk (“sharp point, pike”). Doublet of pique and pike.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/pickaxe