Wedge, n. [OE. wegge, AS. wecg; akin to D. wig, wigge, OHG. wecki, G. weck a (wedge-shaped) loaf, Icel. veggr, Dan. vægge, Sw. vigg, and probably to Lith. vagis a peg. Cf. Wigg.].

A piece of metal, or other hard material, thick at one end, and tapering to a thin edge at the other, used in splitting wood, rocks, etc., in raising heavy bodies, and the like. It is one of the six elementary machines called the mechanical powers. See Illust. of Mechanical powers, under Mechanical. [1913 Webster]
A solid of five sides, having a rectangular base, two rectangular or trapezoidal sides meeting in an edge, and two triangular ends. [1913 Webster]
A mass of metal, especially when of a wedgelike form. Shak. [1913 Webster]
Anything in the form of a wedge, as a body of troops drawn up in such a form. [1913 Webster]
"In warlike muster they appear,
In rhombs, and wedges, and half-moons, and wings." [1913 Webster]
The person whose name stands lowest on the list of the classical tripos; -- so called after a person (Wedgewood) who occupied this position on the first list of 1828. C. A. Bristed. [1913 Webster]
A golf club having an iron head with the face nearly horizontal, used for lofting the golf ball at a high angle, as when hitting the ball out of a sand trap or the rough. [PJC]

Fox wedge. (Mach. & Carpentry) See under Fox. -- Spherical wedge (Geom.), the portion of a sphere included between two planes which intersect in a diameter.

Wedge, v. t.

To cleave or separate with a wedge or wedges, or as with a wedge; to rive. Shak. [1913 Webster]
To force or drive as a wedge is driven. [1913 Webster]
"Among the crowd in the abbey where a finger
Could not be wedged in more." [1913 Webster]

"He 's just the sort of man to wedge himself into a snug berth." [1913 Webster]
To force by crowding and pushing as a wedge does; as, to wedge one's way. Milton. [1913 Webster]
To press closely; to fix, or make fast, in the manner of a wedge that is driven into something. [1913 Webster]
"Wedged in the rocky shoals, and sticking fast." [1913 Webster]
To fasten with a wedge, or with wedges; as, to wedge a scythe on the snath; to wedge a rail or a piece of timber in its place. [1913 Webster]
To cut, as clay, into wedgelike masses, and work by dashing together, in order to expel air bubbles, etc. Tomlinson. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

Wedge, n. & v.
--n.
1 a piece of wood or metal etc. tapering to a sharp edge, that is driven between two objects or parts of an object to secure or separate them.
2 anything resembling a wedge (a wedge of cheese; troops formed a wedge).
3 a golf club with a wedge-shaped head.
4 a a wedge-shaped heel. b a shoe with this.
--v.tr.
1 tighten, secure, or fasten by means of a wedge (wedged the door open).
2 force open or apart with a wedge.
3 (foll. by in, into) pack or thrust (a thing or oneself) tightly in or into.

Idiom

thin end of the wedge colloq. an action or procedure of little importance in itself, but likely to lead to more serious developments. wedge-shaped
1 shaped like a solid wedge.
2 V-shaped.

Derivative

wedgelike adj. wedgewise adv.

Wedge, v.tr. Pottery prepare (clay) for use by cutting, kneading, and throwing down.

Etymology

17th c.: orig. uncert.

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THESAURUS

Wedge

arrowhead, articulate, batten, batten down, bed, bolt, buckle, butt, button, character, clasp, cleat, clip, confirm, crowbar, cuneiform, deep-dye, define, demotic character, determinative, dovetail, embed, engraft, engrave, entrench, establish, etch, fix, found, get a foothold, get leverage, grammalogue, ground, hasp, hieratic symbol, hieroglyph, hieroglyphic, hieroglyphics, hinge, hiragana, hitch, hook, ideogram, ideograph, impact, implant, impress, imprint, infix, ingrain, inscribe, jam, jimmy, joint, kana, katakana, latch, lever, lock, lodge, logogram, logograph, miter, mortise, nail, ogham, pack, peg, phonetic, phonetic symbol, pictogram, pictograph, pin, plant, print, prize, pry, rabbet, radical, rivet, root, rune, scarf, screw, seat, set, set in, settle, sew, shorthand, skewer, snap, stamp, staple, stereotype, stick, stitch, tack, toggle, word letter, zipper

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ROGET THESAURUS

Wedge

Instrument

N instrument, machinery, mechanism, engineering, instrument, organ, tool, implement, utensil, machine, engine, lathe, gin, mill, air engine, caloric engine, heat engine, gear, tackle, tackling, rig, rigging, apparatus, appliances, plant, materiel, harness, trappings, fittings, accouterments, barde, equipment, equipmentage, appointments, furniture, upholstery, chattels, paraphernalia, mechanical powers, lever, leverage, mechanical advantage, crow, crowbar, handspike, gavelock, jemmy, jimmy, arm, limb, wing, oar, paddle, pulley, wheel and axle, wheelwork, clockwork, wheels within wheels, pinion, crank, winch, cam, pedal, capstan, wheel, inclined plane, wedge, screw, spring, mainspring, can hook, glut, heald, heddle, jenny, parbuckle, sprag, water wheel, handle, hilt, haft, shaft, heft, shank, blade, trigger, tiller, helm, treadle, key, turnscrew, screwdriver, knocker, hammer, edge tool, borer, vice, teeth, nail, rope, peg, support, spoon, arms, oar, cardiograph, recapper, snowplow, tenpenny, votograph, instrumental, mechanical, machinal, brachial.

Junction

VB join, unite, conjoin, connect, associate, put together, lay together, clap together, hang together, lump together, hold together, piece together, tack together, fix together, bind up together together, embody, reembody, roll into one, attach, fix, affix, saddle on, fasten, bind, secure, clinch, twist, make fast, tie, pinion, string, strap, sew, lace, tat, stitch, tack, knit, button, buckle, hitch, lash, truss, bandage, braid, splice, swathe, gird, tether, moor, picket, harness, chain, fetter, lock, latch, belay, brace, hook, grapple, leash, couple, accouple, link, yoke, bracket, marry, bridge over, span, braze, pin, nail, bolt, hasp, clasp, clamp, crimp, screw, rivet, impact, solder, set, weld together, fuse together, wedge, rabbet, mortise, miter, jam, dovetail, enchase, graft, ingraft, inosculate, entwine, intwine, interlink, interlace, intertwine, intertwist, interweave, entangle, twine round, belay, tighten, trice up, screw up, be joined, hang together, hold together, cohere.

Angularity

N angularity, angularness, aduncity, angle, cusp, bend, fold, notch, fork, bifurcation, elbow, knee, knuckle, ankle, groin, crotch, crutch, crane, fluke, scythe, sickle, zigzag, kimbo, akimbo, corner, nook, recess, niche, oriel, coign, right angle, obliquity, angle of 45 degrees, miter, acute angle, obtuse angle, salient angle, reentering angle, spherical angle, angular measurement, angular elevation, angular distance, angular velocity, trigonometry, goniometry, altimetry, clinometer, graphometer, goniometer, theodolite, sextant, quadrant, dichotomy, triangle, trigon, wedge, rectangle, square, lozenge, diamond, rhomb, rhombus, quadrangle, quadrilateral, parallelogram, quadrature, polygon, pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, oxygon, decagon, pyramid, cone, Platonic bodies, cube, rhomboid, tetrahedron, pentahedron, hexahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron, eicosahedron, prism, pyramid, parallelopiped, curb roof, gambrel roof, mansard roof, angular, bent, crooked, aduncous, uncinated, aquiline, jagged, serrated, falciform, falcated, furcated, forked, bifurcate, zigzag, furcular, hooked, dovetailed, knock kneed, crinkled, akimbo, kimbo, geniculated, oblique, fusiform, wedge-shaped, cuneiform, cuneate, multangular, oxygonal, triangular, trigonal, trilateral, quadrangular, quadrilateral, foursquare, rectangular, square, multilateral, polygonal, cubical, rhomboid, rhomboidal, pyramidal.

Sharpness

N sharpness, acuity, acumination, spinosity, point, spike, spine, spicule, spiculum, needle, hypodermic needle, tack, nail, pin, prick, prickle, spur, rowel, barb, spit, cusp, horn, antler, snag, tag thorn, bristle, Adam's needle, bear grass, tine, yucca, nib, tooth, tusk, spoke, cog, ratchet, crag, crest, arete, cone peak, sugar loaf, pike, aiguille, spire, pyramid, steeple, beard, chevaux de frise, porcupine, hedgehog, brier, bramble, thistle, comb, awn, beggar's lice, bur, burr, catchweed, cleavers, clivers, goose, grass, hairif, hariff, flax comb, hackle, hatchel, heckle, wedge, knife edge, cutting edge, blade, edge tool, cutlery, knife, penknife, whittle, razor, razor blade, safety razor, straight razor, electric razor, scalpel, bistoury, lancet, plowshare, coulter, colter, hatchet, ax, pickax, mattock, pick, adze, gill, billhook, cleaver, cutter, scythe, sickle, scissors, shears, pruning shears, cutters, wire cutters, nail clipper, paper cutter, sword, bodkin, belduque, bowie knife, paring knife, bushwhacker, drawing knife, drawing shave, microtome, chisel, screwdriver blade, flint blade, guillotine, sharpener, hone, strop, grindstone, whetstone, novaculite, steel, emery, sharp, keen, acute, acicular, aciform, aculeated, acuminated, pointed, tapering, conical, pyramidal, mucronate, mucronated, spindle shaped, needle shaped, spiked, spiky, ensiform, peaked, salient, cusped, cuspidate, cuspidated, cornute, cornuted, cornicultate, prickly, spiny, spinous, spicular, thorny, bristling, muricated, pectinated, studded, thistly, briary, craggy, snaggy, digitated, two-edged, fusiform, dentiform, denticulated, toothed, odontoid, starlike, stellated, stelliform, sagittate, sagittiform, arrowheaded, arrowy, barbed, spurred, acinaciform, apiculate, apiculated, aristate, awned, awny, bearded, calamiform, cone-shaped, coniform, crestate, echinate, gladiate, lanceolate, lanciform, awl, awl-shaped, lance-shaped, awl- shaped, scimitar-shaped, sword-shaped, setarious, spinuliferous, subulate, tetrahedral, xiphoid, cutting, sharp edged, knife edged, sharp as a razor, keen as a razor, sharp as a needle, sharp as a tack, sharpened, set.

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