n. See ice axe. [French, from French dialectal, diminutive of piola, small axe, from Old French *piola, from Old Provençal, diminutive of apcha, apia, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German happa, sickle.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.