Jigsaw

How to spell jigsaw

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce jigsaw

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does jigsaw mean?

1. nounA puzzle made of interlocking irregularly shaped pieces that combine to form a picture.
2. nounA power saw with a narrow blade that moves rapidly up and down, used for cutting curves and intricate shapes.

Jigsaw in a sentence

• She spread the thousand-piece jigsaw across the dining table.

• He used a jigsaw to cut the rounded corners on the shelf.

• The children completed the cardboard jigsaw before bedtime.

• A sharp blade in the jigsaw makes neat curves in plywood.

Where does jigsaw come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word joins two older English elements. The second part, saw, descends directly from the Old English word sagu, a tool with a toothed blade for cutting, which is related to similar words across the Germanic languages and ultimately to a root meaning 'to cut'. The first part, jig, refers to a quick, jerky, up-and-down motion; it appeared in English in the 1500s, probably borrowed from the French word gigue, a lively, bouncing dance. A jigsaw is therefore literally a saw whose fine blade moves rapidly up and down to cut intricate curves. When such saws were used in the nineteenth century to cut pictures mounted on wood into interlocking shapes, the puzzle they produced took the name jigsaw puzzle, later shortened to just jigsaw. Spelling it is easy once you see it is simply the two plain words jig and saw run together, with no hidden letters.

How the word is built

• jig (a quick, jerky up-and-down movement)
• saw (cutting tool, from Old English sagu)