Etymology
1. "cutting tool," O.E.
sagu, from P.Gmc.
*sago "a cutting tool" (cf. O.E.
seax "knife," O.N.
sõg, Norw.
sag, Dan.
sav, M.Du.
saghe, Du.
zaag, O.H.G.
saga, Ger.
Säge "saw"), from PIE base
*sak-/*sek- "to cut" (cf. L.
secare "to cut," Rus.
sech' "to cut;" see section). The verb is attested from c.1225; strong conjugation began 15c. on model of
draw, etc.
Sawbones "surgeon" is 1837 slang;
sawdust is 1530;
sawhorse recorded from 1778;
sawfish first attested 1664. The personal name
Sawyer is attested from c.1248 (cf.
lawyer).
Sawed-off "short, cut short" is attested 1887 of persons, 1898 of shotguns.
2. Etymology tree
3. Proto-Indo-European *sek-
4. Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
5. Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
6. Proto-Indo-European *sok-éh₂
7. Proto-Germanic *sagō
8. Proto-West Germanic *sagu
9. Old English saga
10. Middle English sawe
11. English saw
12. The noun from Middle English sawe, sawgh, from Old English saga, sagu (“saw”), from Proto-West Germanic *sagu, from Proto-Germanic *sagô, *sagō (“saw”), from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”).
13. Cognate with West Frisian seage (“saw”), Dutch zaag (“saw”), German Säge (“saw”), Danish sav (“saw”), Faroese, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk sag (“saw”), Swedish såg (“saw”), Icelandic sög (“saw”), and through Indo-European, with Latin secō (“cut”) and Italian sega (“saw”).
14. The verb from Middle English sawen, from the noun above. See: Latin '
secō'.
Verbs referencing "saw"
Danish
save, Latin
seco, Swedish
såga, Irish
sábh, German, Pennsylvania
saege, Manx
saue.