“chopping” is a form of
chop
UK /t͡ʃɒp/ · US /t͡ʃɑp/ noun, verb, proper noun
Also a form of cheap
Forms chops chopping chopped chap chapp chope
- noun A cut of meat, often containing a section of a rib. “I only like lamb chops with mint jelly.”
- noun A blow with an axe, cleaver, or similar implement. “It should take just one good chop to fell the sapling.”
- noun (martial arts) A blow delivered with the hand rigid and outstretched. “A karate chop.”
- noun Ocean waves, generally caused by wind, distinguished from swell by being smaller and not lasting as long.
- noun (poker) A hand where two or more players have an equal-valued hand, resulting in the chips being shared equally between them. “With both players having an ace-high straight, the pot was a chop.”
- noun (informal, with "the") Termination, especially from employment; the sack.
- noun (Australia, New Zealand) A woodchopping competition.
- noun (dated) A crack or cleft; a chap.
- verb (transitive) To cut into pieces with short, vigorous cutting motions. “chop wood; chop an onion”
- verb (transitive) To sever with an axe or similar implement. “Chop off his head.”
- verb (transitive, figurative) To separate or divide. “We should chop off some of that department's budget.”
- verb (transitive) to give a downward cutting blow or movement, typically with the side of the hand.
- verb (transitive, baseball) To hit the ball downward so that it takes a high bounce.
- verb (poker) To divide the pot (or tournament prize) between two or more players.
- verb (intransitive) To make a quick, heavy stroke or a series of strokes, with or as with an ax.
- verb (intransitive) To do something suddenly with an unexpected motion; to catch or attempt to seize.
- verb (obsolete) To exchange, to barter; to swap.
- verb To chap or crack.
- verb (nautical) To vary or shift suddenly. “The wind chops about.”
- verb (obsolete) To twist words.
Synonyms
axe pink slip sack chete jook jooker ching ying rambo poker pokey bassy shank nank splash splasher cheffer cutter chanop op chop shot chopper chop up hack
Etymology
From Middle English choppen, chappen (“to chop”), of uncertain origin, possibly onomatopoeic (cf. Swedish tjoff), or a variant of chap (“to become cracked”).
Cognate with Scots chap (“to chop”). Compare also Saterland Frisian kappe, kapje (“to hack; chop; lop off”), Dutch kappen (“to chop, cut, hew”), German Low German kappen (“to cut off; clip”), German kappen (“to cut; clip”), German dialectal chapfen, kchapfen (“to chop into small pieces”), Albanian copë (“piece, chunk”), Old English *ċippian (in forċippian (“to cut off”)). Perhaps related to chip.
Compare French couper (“to chop”), Ancient Greek κόπτω (kóptō, “to strike, cut”), Swedish and Norwegian kapa, kappa, kabba (“to chop/cut (off)”).
Uncertain, perhaps a variant of chap (“cheap”). Compare Middle English copen (“to buy”), Dutch kopen (“to buy”).
From Middle English choppe (“jaw, jawbone”), related to Middle English cheppe (“one side of the jaw, chap”). Perhaps ultimately related to Etymology 1 above.
Borrowed from Hindi छाप (chāp, “stamp”). Closely related to the similarly descended Malay word cap, which likely reinforced the English usage within the Malay world.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To cut by striking repeatedly with a sharp instrument; to cut into pieces; to mince; --often with up.
- verb To sever or separate by one more blows of a sharp instrument; to divide; --usually with off or down.
- verb To make a quick strike, or repeated strokes, with an ax or other sharp instrument.
- verb To do something suddenly with an unexpected motion; to catch or attempt to seize.
Etymology [Cf. LG. & D. kappen, Dan. kappe, Sw. kappa. Cf. Chap to crack.]
Etymology [Cf. D. koopen to buy. See Cheapen, v. t., and cf. Chap, v. i., to buy.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “chop”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details