: any of various tools or devices with a helical shaft or part that are used for boring holes (as in wood, soil, or ice) or moving loose material (such as snow)
Illustration of auger
12 screw
3 tapering pod
Did you know?
The tool called an auger has nothing to do with people’s navels, but the words auger and navel are related. This tool was first used to bore a hole for the axle in the nave, or hub, of a wheel. Such a nave was called nafu in Old English. Nafu is related to the word nafela, which became our word navel. The Old English ancestor of auger was nafogar, which was made up of nafu and gar, meaning “spear.” By Middle English nafogar had lost a syllable and shrunk to nauger. Since a nauger sounds like an auger, people began to write an auger, and our modern spelling of the word was born.
Examples of auger in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebThat idea is what ended up leading to this idea of the airport, and also the joke with the truck, the augers, and all that stuff.—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 19 July 2024 He's outfitted his rig to deploy augers at the flip of the switch, but the switch isn't working.—Patrick Gomez, EW.com, 10 July 2024 That augers well for a positive response to consolidation among marketplaces, and joining with traditional staffing companies, both likely trends emerging in the space over the next couple of years.—Jon Younger, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024 Given the implicit destructiveness of those augers, however, rupture seems more likely.—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2023 See all Example Sentences for auger
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'auger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, alteration (resulting from false division of a nauger) of nauger, from Old English nafogār; akin to Old High German nabugēr auger, Old English nafu nave, gār spear — more at nave, gore
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of auger was
before the 12th century
: any of various tools made like a spiral or screw and used for boring holes or moving loose material
Etymology
Middle English auger "auger," an altered form of nauger, from Old English nafogār "tool for boring holes in the hub of a wheel"
Word Origin
The tool called an auger has nothing to do with people's navels, but the words auger and navel are related. This tool was first used to bore a hole for the axle in the nave or hub of a wheel. Such a nave was called nafu in Old English. Nafu is related to the word nafela, which has become our word navel. The Old English ancestor of auger was nafogār, which was made up of nafu and gār, meaning "spear." By Middle English nafogār had lost a syllable and shrunk to nauger, and it no longer made sense as a compound. Since a nauger sounds just like an auger, many people began to write an auger. That is how our modern spelling of the word was born.
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