Buzzsaw

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A handheld or mounted power tool equipped with a circular blade designed to cut wood or other materials quickly
2. A mechanical saw using a rotating round blade to slice through various substances efficiently
3. A tool featuring a circular cutting blade driven by a motor, used primarily for rapid cutting tasks

Etymology: A buzzsaw is, quite literally, a saw that buzzes. The name comes from the compound of "buzz" and "saw," and the sound is the whole point: a high-speed circular blade spinning fast enough to produce a sustained, humming whine. The "buzz" element is onomatopoeic, imitating the drone of a vibrating or rapidly moving thing, the same kind of sound that gives us words like "buzzer" and "bumblebee." The compound is transparent, so the interest lies in the sound it names rather than in any shift of meaning. Early saws were mostly driven by hand or by water and wind, and the high-speed circular blade that produces the characteristic whine came later, which is why the name points to a machine's voice rather than a traditional tool's shape.