Screwdrivers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A handheld tool designed for driving screws, often featuring a particular tip shape for engaging with screw heads and a grip for easy handling
2. Implements for turning screws into surfaces, equipped with a specialized tip that matches various screw designs and a handle for user control
3. Tools used for inserting or removing screws, usually comprising a handle and a shaped metal shaft to fit screw heads

Etymology: The plural "screwdrivers" is simply the regular plural of "screwdriver," so the story belongs to the singular. "Screwdriver" is a compound of "screw" and "driver." The first part comes from Old French "escroue," which descends from Latin "scrofa," a word for a female pig or sow, and the image was of a spiral thread shaped like the twisting of a sow's... (rather, the spiral thread was named for the screw's shape, with the Latin base surviving through French). The second part, "driver," is an agent noun built on the verb "drive," meaning one who drives or pushes something forward. Taken together, a screwdriver is literally something that drives a screw. English took "screw" from Middle English "scrue," which was influenced by the Old French forms, and "driver" from Middle English "drivere," which grew from the Old English suffix "-ere" denoting a person or thing that does an action. The combination is transparent: nothing in it required a special coinage, which is why the compound reads so plainly today.

Synonyms: tool