chamfer

[cham-fer] /ˈtʃæm fər/
noun
1.
a cut that is made in wood or some other material, usually at a 45° angle to the adjacent principal faces.
Compare bevel.
verb (used with object)
2.
to make a chamfer on or in.
Origin
1595-1605; back formation from chamfering (taken as chamfer + -ing1) < Middle French chamfrein, variant of chanfreint beveled edge, orig. past participle of chanfraindre to bevel, equivalent to chant edge (< Latin canthus; see cant2) + fraindre to break < Latin frangere; see frangible
Related forms
chamferer, noun
unchamfered, adjective
Examples from the web for chamfer
  • chamfer or round by grinding or filing all sharp exposed metal edges.
British Dictionary definitions for chamfer

chamfer

/ˈtʃæmfə/
noun
1.
a narrow flat surface at the corner of a beam, post, etc, esp one at an angle of 45° Compare bevel (sense 1)
verb (transitive)
2.
to cut such a surface on (a beam, etc)
3.
another word for chase2 (sense 4)
Derived Forms
chamferer, noun
Word Origin
C16: back formation from chamfering,from Old French chamfrein, from chant edge (see cant²) + fraindre to break, from Latin frangere
Word Origin and History for chamfer
n.

c.1600, "small groove cut in wood or stone," from Middle French chanfraindre (15c., Modern French chanfreiner), past participle of chanfraint. The second element seems to be from Latin frangere "to break" (see fraction); perhaps the whole word is cantum frangere "to break the edge." Meaning "bevelled surface of a square edge or corner" is attested from c.1840, of uncertain connection to the other sense.