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Added 9 October 2026

hammer

/ˈhæmə/ noun

In Latin: malleus, martellus, marcus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about hammer at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A tool with a heavy head and a handle used for pounding.
Bobby used a hammer and nails to fix the two planks together.
The act of using a hammer to hit something.
The nail is too loose—give it a hammer.
The malleus, a small bone of the middle ear.

verb

To strike repeatedly with a hammer, some other implement, the fist, etc.
Tony hammered on the door to try to get him to open.
To form or forge with a hammer; to shape by beating.
To emphasize a point repeatedly.

Origin

From Middle English hamer, from Old English hamor, from Proto-West Germanic *hamar, from Proto-Germanic *hamaraz (“tool with a stone head”) (compare West Frisian hammer, Low German Hamer, Dutch hamer, German Hammer, Danish hammer, Swedish hammare). This is traditionally ascribed to Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱmoros, from *h₂éḱmō (“stone”), but see *hamaraz for further discussion. (declare a defaulter on the stock exchange): Originally signalled by knocking with a wooden mallet.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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