Machete Definition
mə-shĕtē, -chĕtē
machetes
noun
machetes
A large, heavy-bladed knife used for cutting down sugar cane, dense underbrush, etc., esp. in Central and South America.
Webster's New World
A small Pacific tenpounder fish (Elops affinis) sometimes found in fresh waters.
Webster's New World
verb
To cut with a machete.
Macheted the undergrowth.
American Heritage
To attack, wound, or kill with a machete.
American Heritage
To cut or chop with a machete.
After some hours of intense work, we had macheted a path through the jungle to the bank of the river.
Wiktionary
To hack or chop crudely with a blade other than a machete.
You can't just machete about with a rapier and expect to succeed; you need to thrust properly.
Wiktionary
Origin of Machete
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Spanish diminutive of macho sledge hammer alteration of mazo club probably from maza mallet from Vulgar Latin mattea mace mace1
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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From Spanish machete, diminutive of macho (“sledgehammer"), from Latin mattea, cognate with Old French machier, French massue, English mace.
From Wiktionary
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