Beil

Bedeutung (English)

axe, hatchet

Synonyms

Axt

🪓

Hacke

Hackbeil

Streitaxt

Abbau

Äxte

Hackebeil

Wachskerze

Horn

der beste

Sichel

Dialekte

Basel-Landschaft

beiel

Basel-Landschaft

beil

Data provided by: Deutsch-Schweizerdeutsches Wörterbuch

Ausgesprochen als (IPA)

/baɪ̯l/

Etymologie (English)

Inherited from Mittelhochdeutsch: bīl

Inherited from Althochdeutsch: bīhal

Cognate with Bairisch: Beichl

Cognate with Niederländisch: bijl

Cognate with Deutsch: Bille

Cognate with Mittelhochdeutsch: bicke

Cognate with Altenglisch: becca

In summary

From Middle High German bīl, bīhel, from Old High German bīhal (whence also Bavarian Beichl), attested (in the form witubil) since the 8th century, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bíþla- (“axe”), instrumental noun from *bītaną (“to bite”). Compare Dutch bijl.
Conflated early on with Proto-Germanic *bilją and its descendants (German Bille). (Kluge mentioned that, in his day, a relationship to Bicke / Middle High German bicke (“pickaxe”) — compare Old English becca (“pickaxe”) — could not be ruled out.)