sawn

A carpenter has sawn a piece of wood in half.

Definition

Sawn is the past participle of the verb saw, meaning "cut with a saw." As a past participle, it is used to form perfect tenses and passive constructions.

1. Verb (past participle): Having been cut or divided using a saw (a tool with a serrated blade).
   • Example: The wood has been sawn into planks. (The wood was cut into flat pieces with a saw.)

Usage Examples

• Perfect tense:

  • He has sawn the log into smaller pieces. (He completed cutting the log.)
  • They had sawn through the branch before it fell. (They finished cutting before the branch fell.)

• Passive voice:

  • The timber was sawn at the mill. (The timber was cut at the mill.)
  • The board is sawn to a precise length. (The board is cut to an exact measurement.)

Advanced Usage

• "sawn-off" (chiefly British English): a type of shotgun with a shortened barrel, often used in informal contexts.

  • The criminal carried a sawn-off shotgun. (A shotgun with a cut-down barrel.)

• "rough-sawn": describing wood that has been cut but not smoothed or planed.

  • The fence is made of rough-sawn timber. (Wood cut with a saw but left with a textured surface.)

Variants and Related Words

• Saw (verb, base form): to cut with a saw.

  • I need to saw this branch off the tree. (Cut it using a saw.)

• Saw (noun): a tool with a serrated blade for cutting.

  • He used a hand saw to cut the wood. (A manual cutting tool.)

• Sawing (present participle): the act of cutting with a saw.

  • She is sawing the plank in half. (Cutting it with a saw.)

Synonyms

• Cut: to divide or separate with a sharp tool.
• Severed: cut off or separated completely.
• Sliced: cut into thin, flat pieces.

Phrasal Verbs

• Saw off: to remove something by cutting with a saw.

  • He sawn off the broken branch. (He cut the broken branch away.)

• Saw up: to cut into smaller pieces using a saw.

  • They sawn up the old furniture for firewood. (They cut the furniture into small pieces.)

Related Idioms

• "Sawn to the quick": deeply hurt or offended (archaic).
  • Her harsh words sawn him to the quick. (Her words caused deep emotional pain.)

Note on Usage

"Sawn" is the standard past participle in British English, while "sawed" is more common in American English. For example: - British: The wood has been sawn. - American: The wood has been sawed.