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cut·ting

(kŭtĭng)

adj.

1. Capable of or designed for incising, shearing, or severing: a cutting tool.

2. Sharply penetrating; piercing: a cutting wind.

3. Injuring or capable of injuring the feelings of others: "He can say the driest, most cutting things in the quietest of tones" (Charlotte Brontë).

1. A part cut off from a main body.

2. A part, such as a stem, leaf, or root, removed from a plant to propagate a new plant, as through rooting or grafting.

3. An excavation made through high ground in a construction project.

4. The editing of film or recording tape.

5. Chiefly British A clipping, as from a newspaper.

6. Self-injury in which cuts are made in the skin.

cutting·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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