auger

Meaning

Noun

1. A carpenter's tool for boring holes longer than those bored by a gimlet.
2. A snake or plumber's snake (plumbing tool).
3. A tool used to bore holes in the ground, e.g. for fence posts
4. A hollow drill used to take core samples of soil, ice, etc. for scientific study.

Verb

1. To use an auger; to drill a hole using an auger.
2. To proceed in the manner of an auger.
3. (uncommon) To daydream.

Synonyms

drill

gimlet

wimble

perforator

awl

screw auger

plumber’s snake

borer

bit

soil auger

screw

bore

twist bit

earth auger

double worm screw

fluted twist drill

milled twist drill

spiral borer

boring tool

brace and bit

bur

burr

needle

tailspin

trepan

twist drill

bitstock

spiral drill

closet auger

Translations

Bohrer

taladro

barreno

barrena

succhiello

vrille

trapano

trivella

trado

tarière

taladrador

αρίδα

Erdbohrer

verrumão

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɔː.ɡə(ɹ)/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: nauger

Inherited from Old English: nafugār

Cognate with Dutch: avegaar

In summary

From a rebracketing of Middle English a nauger (seen as an + auger), from Old English nafugār (“nave drill”, literally “nave spear”), from Proto-West Germanic *nabugaiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *nabōgaizaz. Cognate with Dutch avegaar.