# tomahawk

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtɑ.mə.hɔk/ · frequency rank #33,457

## Definitions
1. An axe used by Native American warriors, originally made of stone, bone, or antler.
2. A dunk performed with one's arm behind one's head.
3. A geometric construction consisting of a semicircle and two line segments that serves as a tool for trisecting an angle; so called from its resemblance to the American Indian axe.
4. A field hockey shot style that involves a player turning their hockey stick upside-down and swinging it so that its inside edge will come into contact with the ball.

## Etymology
From an Eastern Algonquian word, most likely Powhatan tumahák; compare also Malecite-Passamaquoddy tomhikon (“axe”), Abenaki temahigan, demahigan (“axe”).

## Common misspellings (12)
`otmahawk`, `tmoahawk`, `toamhawk`, `tomaahwk`, `tomahakw`, `tomahawkk`, `tomahawwk`, `tomahhawk`, `tomahwak`, `tomhaawk`, `tommahawk`, `ttomahawk`

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