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mat·tock

(mătək)

A digging tool with a flat blade set at right angles to the handle.

[Middle English, from Old English mattuc, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *matteūca, club; akin to *mattea; see MACE¹.]

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mattock

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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